The Day the Hiroseki Fell
by YokoYoukai
Summary: UPDATED! Kurama comes home from school one day to find a very peculiar suprise awaiting him. Also, along with this development at Kurama's, it seems, Yukina has gone missing! And, why can't anyone reach Hiei? KuramaXHiei YAOI
1. Prologue: The Koorimes are kidnapped!

Disclaimer: Still don't own nothin'.... --;;

Hello, it's me, Hatoko again! Not many reviews on my first fic... but I won't let it get me down! Hehehe... which is funny. I'm not usually an optimist. Anyways, as I said in "It's the Small Things", this fic is pretty... mean to Hiei and Yukina. Of course, I hadn't originally planned to get Yukina involved, as I love the girl, but... I decided that the content would be dry without her. So... I had to bring her in --;;. Anyways, I guess I shouldn't expect much from my fic... after all, it's my first, and people haven't read anything I've written before, and... it hasn't even been up for a day yet.... --;;. Also, I've learned from my new found experience, that reviews are actually very important to an inspiring author. I've decided that, from now on, since I've realized how much my reviewers mean to me, I'm going to review on every fic I read from now on! It's a promise! Of course, before I finally broke down, and got myself a name, I simply called myself "Hatoko". So, if an annoynomous person named "Hatoko" reviewed.... it was probably me. --;; Anyways, enough of that, and back to... umm.... I forgot! (bashes head repeatedly against wall in order to try to remember what she was talking about)

Kurama: Ah, Hatoko-san? You know that won't actually help, right...?

Hiei: Heh, leave her, kitsune. I'm rather enjoying watching her bash her skull in on the wall.

Hatoko: Hey, you two should be enjoying your last minutes together, instead of critizing me! I told you, the story plot starts in the prologue! Hiei, did you get all that ketchup ready yet?

Hiei: Hn...

Kurama: Yes, we did, but I think my room in going to smell like tomatoes for a few months....

Hatoko: SUCK IT UP! WE ALL NEED TO MAKE SACRIFICES FOR THE GOOD OF THE PUBLIC!

Hiei: Yeah... just like you sacrificed your sanity, right....?

Hatoko: And just like you sacrificed your freedom.... (smiles maniacally, holding up a chain menacingly)

Hiei: Urk!

Kurama: (takes chains from Hatoko nervously and begins dragging Hiei towards the bedroom) Well, Hatoko-san, I think we will take your advice, and um, go spend our final moments together before this fic gets under way.

Hatoko: I always knew you were the brains behind this pairing, Kurama. And, Hiei must be the brawn...

Kurama: Naw, Hiei's far too cute to be the brawn!

Hatoko: You're right! Kurama-kun's the brawn and the brain, and Hi-chan is the Kawaii-ness! (glomps Hiei)

Kurama: Hahaha!

Hiei: .... I'm doomed... --;;

**The Day the Hiroseki Fell**

**Prologue: The Koorimes are kidnapped!**

"What in the name of Inari happened in here?!"

Kurama had just gotten home from another excrutiatingly boring day at school, only to come home and find his house completely trashed! (A/N: DUN DUN DUUUUNNN!)

'Who -- or what -- could have done this?' Kurama thought sadly. He walked in a few feet to try to calculate the severity of the destruction.

'I'll have to clean all this up before Mother gets home...' he thought, moving through the kitchen and walking slowly towards the stairs, taking in every ounce of the wreckage. 'Whatever happened, it looks like there was quite a struggle.'

Kurama continued up the stairs and down the hall, deciding to check the rest of the upstairs before his own bedroom. He opened a door to his left, and glanced into it. Well, Shiori's room was okay... He moved onto the bathroom. That was okay too. Finally, he turned around, and went back down the hall towards his own room. He opened to door to his room, and let out a horrified gasp at the sight that met his eyes. And he thought the living room was bad!

No part of his room was untouched. Everything for chairs to waste paper baskets had been upturned. The sheets on his bed... well, weren't. And, he couldn't help but notice a red substance, which almost semed like paint, was all over his sheets. Books were scattered everywhere, some even had pages ripped out here and there, scattering around his room in the breeze provided by his open window. His window... The sheets looked like they had been gripped by someone who was being dragged towards the open window, which he kept unlocked for Hiei and was never left fully open, and person had been gripping the sheets for dear life, doing eveything in their power to ward off the attackers. He moved the sheets back in the direction of his bed, only to find a horrifying sight underneath them. The window sill was covered in the paint-like substance, while there was a quite startlingly large puddle of the stuff beneath said window. He had a gnawing sensation in the pit of his stomache as he moved closer to the window, and dabbed finger into the red stuff, and rubbed it between his thumb and index fingers, and sniffed.

'I knew it,' he thought. 'This is blood. But, whose...?'

He sighed deeply, and walked towards the bathroom to wash the blood of his hands, and maybe get the bleach, to see if it were too late to save his sheets and the floor underneath his window, only to stop as something shiny in the pool of blood underneath the window caught his eye. He walked slowly back towards the window, knelt down, and scooped up said "shiny object" in his hand. Upon closer inspection of the item, he gasped. He knew what this was! But... it didn't make any sense!

"Hiei..." Kurama whispered. Wide eyed, he clutched Hiei's mother's tear gem necklace to his chest, as tears softly welled up in his emerald green eyes.

**Meanwhile**, deep in the mountains, Yukina rushed to the door as she heard loud knocking quickly increase to incessent hammering.

"Hai, hai!" she called, as she opened to door. "Can I help--"

The rest of her sentence was cut off, however, as a rag with a funny smell and taste was placed over her mouth and nose. The world began to swim, and she knew consciousness no more, as the chloroform took effect on the defenseless Koorime's unsuspecting senses.

**Owari**

Hatoko: Yayness! My beautiful prologue is finally finished! I actually added a lot more to this version than I had in the original rough draft. I've found that once I'm really into writing something, my mind automoatically goes into this mode, where I just make every longer, and more descriptive, and I reword things so that they sounds better... yup. I think that's one of the few talents I possess that I actually enjoy and use... --;;

Hiei: Ha! Well, we all know writing isn't one of your talents, because this sucks!

Kurama: (sobbing uncontrolably in front of his bedroom window.... still)

Hatoko: Hi-chan, don't be mean! Kura-kun! Back me up on this one!

Kurama: (sulk sulk sulk, whine whine whine, cry cry cry)

Hatoko, Hiei: .....

Hatoko: Kurama, you realize we're done with the first scene, right? You can take a break whenever you feel like it... --;;

Kurama: N-no...! I-I'm not ac-ac-acting!

Hiei: Huh? Fox, you do realize that that never actually happened, right?

Hatoko: Well, technically, it did, because I can make you two do anything I want... --;;

Kurama: But...! I was just thinking... what I would d-do if I lost the real... H-Hiei...

Hiei: You did lose the real Hiei --;;

Kurama: Huh?

Hatoko: He's right, you know. As rarely as that happens, he is correct, because I wanted it to happen, and since this is my world, it happened. Just like, I could really make you start crying, change into a baby Youko, and gurgle and spit up onto Hiei's back as he's trying to burp you.

Kurama, Hiei: WHAT??

Hatoko: Huh? I don't have fantasies like that! What are you talking about??

Hiei: We didn't acuse you of anything... --;;

Kurama: Oo

Hatoko: Oh... anyways, I think that just about wraps this chapter up. Happy Holidays, from Hatoko, Kurama, and Hiei!

Hiei: Hn.... Speak for yourself.

Hatoko: Oh, shut up. (glomps Hiei)

Kurama: (feeling dejected)

Hatoko: C'mon, K'rama, their's plenty of glomp for all of us!

Kurama: (perks up) (glomps Hiei)

Hiei: Not again.... --;;

So... that's that! Please, please, please, please review! It would mean the world to me! Well, gotta go, as it is very early in the morning, where I come from. Bye byez! T-t-f-n! Tah tah for now!


	2. Chapter One: Comfort and Awakening

**Disclaimer**: Well, here we are, with chapter one... the previous part was merely the prologue, people! Oh, and I still don't own diddly-squat. 'Cept for maybe the story line... but even then, I believe I'm sorely lacking in the ownership department.--;;

Hatoko: Well, minna-san, another chapter! Yes, I know how much you were all looking forward to my beautiful fic (--;;), so you can all stop begging me, upon bended knee, with tears in your eyes, to update!

Hiei: I don't think anyone could miss your babbling that much.

Kurama: Hiei, don't be mean...

Hatoko: Well, _excuse me_, Hiei, for not being a constant downer like you. What a drag you must be at parties. How can you stand him, Kurama?

Kurama: I think it's just sorta, natural...

Hatoko: Oh, like, an aquired taste?

Kurama: Yeah.

Hiei: Hey! Will stop talking about me like I can't hear you?!

Hatoko: Oh, Hi-chan, we know you can hear us. That's why we're doing it.

Hiei: Kurama, you traitor! Since when have you been in cahoots with her?!

Kurama: Since she promised me a happy ending.

Hiei: .... I'm surrounded by simpletons...

Hatoko: Anyways, while Hi-chan pouts, I would like to personally thank all of my reviewers of the story up to this point!

**Rebekah**: Thanks for reviewing! I would've updated sooner, but I couldn't find my notebook.... --;;

**Imomen (Fireyoukaivixen)**: It's angst! It needs to be dark, and depressing! However, I figured that since I'm not very good at either of these, I would make do by adding a lot of suspense instead. --;; So, what account _do_ you publish on? And, are you really serious about wanting to read more, or are you just saying that to make me feel better? --;;

**Savani**: Well, I'm certainly glad that you seem to enjoy it! I'm going as fast as I can! --;;

**Vople Di Spirito**: Thanks! About the blood thing, I considered having him rush upstairs at the smell of blood, but I wanted to keep it as suspenseful as possible, even if it was a little lame. Sorry if you didn't like it, but I try! I swear! T-T

**AzNcHyK66613**: Thank you for the review! I would be happy to!

**Hiei's Gothic Angel**: Hahaha! Thanks! Now, being completely off topic, update your fic as soon as possible! --;;

Hatoko: Well, I just wanted to give an extra big thanks to these six people to be the first to review in what is sure to be a widely popular fic, spreading throughout the entire World Wide Web! Soon, people are going to be begging me for permission to put it in their websites, and--  
(whap!)

Kurama: Hiei! Why did you do that for?!

Hiei: (holding up a frying pan) She wouldn't shut up, and this was the closest thing available. It's a good thing that she's a total slob and is completely incapable of cleaning up after herself, or we might've had to listen to that egomaniac's ego-trip for the next five hours.

Kurama: But, Hiei, that was still wrong...

Hiei: You're telling me you were enjoying that?

Kurama: Well, no...

Hiei: Then quit complaining. Now let's get this show on the road before she wakes up.

Kurama: --;;

**The Day the Hiroseki Fell**

**Chapter One: Comfort and Awakening**

"Whaddya mean, 'Hiei and Yukina have been kidnapped'?!" Yusuke shouted in Kurama's face.

"Exactly what I said, Yusuke," Kurama retorted, a definate coldness apparent in his voice.

"Wait... Let's take this one step at a time. I can understand how you would've known about Hiei's dissapearance, but how did you know Yukina was gone as well?" Yusuke asked.

"Genkai," Kurama said simply. "She called me up yesterday, shortly after I had gotten home, and told me Yukina had dissapeared, didn't leave a note, or anything, so she knew it was out of the ordinary. She said," he paused, glaring up at Kuwabara, who had been about to interject a whiney question as to why Genkai had called Kurama about Yukina's disappearance before himself. "...that she sensed Hiei's youki dissapear from the Ningenkai around the same time that she could no longer feel Yukina's ki."

"So... they could've left together..." Yusuke said slowly. "But, then again... I'm not sure Yukina would've readily left to the Makai, or Reikai with just Hiei, and without leaving so much as a note for Genkai..."

"Which," Kurama concluded. "Only leaves the option: they were kidnapped."

"Actually..." Kuwabara stated, as the other two looked up from their discussion as Kuwabara spoke. "They've been... demon-napped!" he finished dramatically, putting on a lame pose.

At this proud procclamation of Kuwabara's, Yusuke fell over, and Kurama replied heatedly, "How can you even joke about things like that at a time like this?!"

"Woah, dude, relax," Kuwabara said. "I was just trying to lighten the mood. Don't forget, my sweet Yukina has been kidnapped too..." he finished, trailing off and looking away, making Kurama feel instantly guilty.

A few minutes of silence ensued, only to be broken by Kuwabara once more. "And," he said slowly, as if he had been speaking the whole time, "Hiei's no 'kid'. He can take care of himself, and Yukina. He's a hot-headed fire demon. He's not about to let people push him around. And, no doubt that him and Yukina are together, so he will take care of her, I think we can count on that."

"Thanks, Kuwabara." Kurama smiled. "I needed that."

"Hey, no problem, man." Kuwabara smirked. "I can't stand seeing my friends like this, even if it's becauseYukina and that stupid shrimp have gone missing for a little while. Heck, they probably went off to the Makai for one of Koenma's missions, or something! But, hey," Kuwabara said, placing a hand on Kurama's sholder. "We all miss them as much as you do, especially the shrimp." (A/N: No matter how I seemed to word Kuwabara's phrase right there, it seemed to me like he was being disrespectful towards Yukina. So, I tried rewording it a couple of times, so, please forgive me if it sounds sort of awkward or a little rude towards Yukina right there... ;;)

'I'm not sure if that's true,' Kurama thought, even though on the outside, he had nodded to Kuwabara. 'because I think I'm... I think I might be...'

-Hiei awoke, and sat bolt upright, only to immediately regret doing so. He ached all over, and, as he fell back down on the bed that someone had placed him on, he coughed up a mouthful of blood, and spat it out on the floor.

'Great,' he thought, 'just great. I'm dying, and I don't even know where the hell I am.'

He heard soft shuffles behind him, somewhere outside he range of view, but from the sound, he could tell they were foot steps, of a fairly light person, perhaps even female. He tried to look up at the approaching figure, only to have his body convulse in pain.

"You shouldn't move, lest you make your injuries worse," came a cool female voice from somewhere outside his limited range of view.

'Wait a minute...' Hiei thought. 'I know that voice...'

"Who are you?!" Hiei demanded, his voice softer than he had hoped, do to his injuries, but forceful none-the-less. "Show yourself!"

"As hot-tempered as always, I see," the voice taunted him.

"Why do I feel like..." he muttered, becoming instantly drowsy as a sweet scent of a Makai herb filled the air, quickly diminishing his queries about whether his was still in the Ningenkai or not. "Why do I feel like I know you...?"

"Well, that's simple, isn't it." It was not a question. The voice began sounding distant, and a dark silloutte moved about him as his eyesight faltered. "Because we've met before."

And, with those words echoing in his head, Hiei whispered one word before nodding off into the sweet oblivion of dreamless sleep induced by the Makai herb:

"Kurama...."

-The female figure sighed as Hiei drifted off.

"It's been quite a few hundred years, since we last met, however. I would be suprised, quite frankly, if you had recognized me right off the bat."

With that, the back of the ice demoness turned to the Jaganshi, and ascended the stairs from the basement were the hiyoukai was being kept.

**-Owari-**

Hatoko: YAY!! Finally, my first chapter! I'm so proud of myself!

Hiei: You shouldn't be.

Hatoko: And just why not, Mr. I'm-so-grumpy-that-I'll-hit-you-in-the-head-with-a-frying-pan-on-Christmas-Day-and-not-even-apologize?

Hiei: If I had taken the trouble to knock you out in the first place, there must've been a reason, which means, I don't have to apologize for anything.

Kurama: Now, now you two... Hatoko-san, I believe you have some people still here waiting for you to say something of moderate importance... like, what's going on with the next installment, maybe even a preview, or prehaps recall for them some of the thoughts that were going through your mind as you wrote this chapter?

Hatoko: You're absolutely right, Kura-kun! But, before that... (holds up a metal baseball bat) Oooooohhhhhhh Hieeeeeeeeeeeeeiiiiiiiiiiii!

Hiei: Urk!

Hatoko, Hiei: (crash) (bang) (boom)

Kurama: Sometimes, I wonder how I can put up with them.... it's like having two five year olds... --;;

(pant pant) Anyways, so I promise, the mystery character at the end of this chapter is not any type of OC (Original Character), or Mary-Sue, and she is indeed an original Takahashi character. I may, however, have to substitute her personality in, because I don't know how she acts, or anything, so there may be a bit of OOC-ness (Out of Character-ness), so bear with me. Also, I'm not going to suddenly jump in with her, and make Hiei fall in love with her, or anything. I'm not leading you on, this is going to be HieiXKurama... I NEVER LIE TO MY ENDEARING FANS!!!

Hiei: No... you just lie to yourself and people you know directly.

Hatoko: Huh? Hiei? You should be out for at least a few more hours... I hit you with that baseball bat pretty hard, you know. Three times, even!

Hiei: Heh. What can I say? I guess I'm just a fast healer... Which, is unfortunate for you... (holds up frying pan)

Hatoko, Hiei: (locked in old style anime death glare)

Kurama: While those two are battling to the death, I suppose I will take over from here. Please review for Hatoko-san, as it motivates her to update faster, as she procrastinates very badly, and that way, she can fix various mistakes due other readers' imputs. Arigatou gozaimasu! bows deeply

-Kurama


	3. Chapter Two: Worry and Apprehension

**Disclaimer**: The second chapter, and I still haven't convinced Togashi to hand me the rights to Yuyu. Damn. --

Hatoko: I also wanted to apologize, that, in the previous chapter, I called the creator man "Takahashi". Truth be told, I was have a brain block, and for the life of me, couldn't remember his name. Sorry, minna-san! His name is indeed, Togashi!

Hiei: Only you could forget something as simple as the creator of the story your writing a fan fiction about.

Hatoko: Oh, and I suppose you knew?

Hiei: Of course! You think I'm as thick as you?

Hatoko: Oo

Hiei: Heh.

Hatoko: Why didn't you tell me and prevent me from making a fool of myself?!

Hiei: 'Cause you "made a fool of yourself". You think I would've passed up an opportunity to make you look as stupid as you are?

Hatoko: (sobs) I didn't know you disliked me that much, Hi-chan! You're so cruel!

Kurama: Now, now... --;;

Hatoko: Kura-kun, I don' wanna hear it! Oh, but, I would like to put in a special thanks to the people who have reviewed the second chapter so far!

Kurama, Hiei: --;; Weren't you crying hysterically two seconds ago??

Hatoko: Oh, hush, you two!

Hiei: Can you say, "Mood swings"? --;;

**LoversPastForgotten**: Thank you! I'm trying my best to update quickly!

**Rebekah**: Once again, my pleasure! Thanks for reviewing!

**Lynn (Agent Dark Moose)**: Thank you very much! If this fic even lasts as long as to the end of vacation (I'm going through this a lot faster than I thought I would --;;), I might slow down once school has started back up again, but, until then, I'm trying to do it on an almost daily basis!

**Maliks-dragon**: O.O I just wanted to say, you are my hero. I madly adore your work, and you have no idea how much it means to me to hear you say that. (ahem) Sorry if I embarrassed you, or made you uncomfortable in any way, but when I saw your name on the list of reviewers, I was shocked! THANK YOU SO MUCH! I grovel at your feet! But, while I'm off topic anyways, you should update 'Red Fire'! It **has** been over a year, you know, and it was a good story so far... but, I would understand if you didn't want to --;;... Anyways, thank you so much, once again!

**Naiei-no-miko**: Thanks! Hmm... I didn't think it was that confusing... but that's probably because I'm the one who wrote it --;;. I'll try to be more clear in the future, I promise! Oo

**Black-Fire-Ryu**: I'm not sayin' if it's Rui, or not! You'll just have to wait and find out! ;P Thanks! Hah! Don't worry, I'll **try** not to beat him up much more, but... the thought is tempting... --;;

**KayHiei**: Thanks! But, as I said to Black-Fire-Ryu, I'm not revealing any of the plot, so you'll just have to wait in agonizing suspense for my updates! I'm updating as fast as I can, I swear! --;; But, it is true that, yesterday, I spent all day watching the Onegai, Sensei! (Please, Teacher!) DVD box set that I had gotten for Christmas... and then, today, I spent all day playing Tails of Symphonia... Wah! I'm not being very diligent, am I? I'm sorry, I'll try harder! I promise, i'll work on my fic for as long as I can possibly stand (which is actually quite a long time, you'd be suprised) tomorrow! Don't be mad at me, minna-san! T-T

**Imomen (Fireyoukaivixen)**: Oh well, your loss. hehehe... thanks, if you actually mean it... hmm... how about this? I won't update after this, until you tell me what your publishing account is. You hear that, minna-san?? If I'm not updating, blame in on Miss Imomen, aka Fireyoukaivixen!

Hatoko: Yuk! I'm eating some pizza, and I just bit into the crust, and it tasted like burnt popcorn!

Hiei: Then don't eat it, baka.

Hatoko: Hiei,you pyromaniac midget! You're the one who burned my pizza in the first place!

Hiei: So what if I was? What are you going to do about it?

Hatoko: (begins scribbling frantically in a notebook, while muttering: "...began coughing up more and more blood, Kurama knew that the ferry onna wasn't going to make it in time, and his precious koi, his little hiyoukai, was going to die, right there in his arms...")

Hiei: (Goes pale and gapes)

Kurama: (slams his fist into the table) No fair! You can't do that!

Hatoko: Oh, but I can, Kura-kun. It's Hi-chan's own fault. He had it coming...

Hiei: Oh, yeah? I'd like to see you try to harm me!

Hatoko: Okies, if that's what you really want...

Hiei: (Disappears in a puff of pink smoke)

Kurama: (Starting to sweat rather hard) Um... Hatoko-san...? I know that you would've killed off your lead role in this fic would you...?

Hatoko: Hmm.... I wonder... No, I'm just kidding, Kura-kun. --;; You take everything too literally. Anyways, I just sent him somewhere to be out of my hair for a while. He'll be just fine. He doesn't make an apperance in this chapter anyway...

Kurama: Phew!

Hatoko: Now, Kurama, you're the lead action in this scene! Ready? Lights, Camera, Action!!!!!!!!!!!!

**The Day the Hiroseki Fell**

**Chapter Two: Worry and Apprehention**

Kurama sighed as he stared out the classroom window. He kept replaying the meeting of the Reikai Tantei (minus the obvious Hiei and Yukina) in his head from a few days back about their current situation.

**-Begin Flashback!-**

"It doesn't seem to me that Hiei going missing is anything new." Koenma stated, sounding, in truth, rather bored.

"But, what about Yukina?" Kuwabara yelled at the ouji.

"She could've had urgent business in the Makai with the Koorime's, and hasn't had to time write back yet," Koenma suggested.

"But, what about the blood?" Kurama agrued. "What about Hiei's necklace? It's his most prized possession! There's no way he would let it out of his ight by choice! And Yukina!" Kurama continued, practically shouting at the prince in turn. "She cut her ties with the Koorimes after she learned that they had thrown her twin brother off of the floating island!" Kurama was getting annoyed at the disbelieving look still clearly visible in the Reikai prince's eyes. After all, Kurama had wanted to go after Hiei at once, but Yusuke had convinced him to stay behind and see what Koenma had to say about the whole affair. And, it didn't seem that Koenma was going to let them out on the immediate search and rescue mission Kurama had hoped for, and he was starting to become desperate.

"Fine," Koenma sighed. "I'll tell you what. If we don't hear anything from Hiei or Yukina by tomorrow, which will mark one week since their disappearance, then I'll send out my top Reikai spies, and they'll search each of the three worlds, Ningenkai and Makai especially, since I highly doubt that they'd be here, in Reikai. Now that that's settled..." he smiled at the relieved/thankful look on all of their faces, Kurama especially. "I think you should be getting back to the Ningenkai. It's almost morning there, and if you don't leave soon, you won't make it in time."

**-End Flashback!-**

Kurama sighed again, and continued to gaze out the window. At least it was Saturday(1)... they had agreed to meet Koenma again over the weekend, and if no results turned up, then the Reikai Tantei were to be officially dispatched for a search and rescue mission. Kurama had already thought of various excuses to give his mother for what was sure to be a few day absence, at the very least. Kurama was expecting the average 1 1/2 to 2 weeks.

Kurama sighed for the third time that day. He just didn't know what they were going to do if they didn't find Hiei, and soon. Of course, Kurama cared about his sweet ice demon friend Yukina, but when he thought of her in danger, he didn't feel nearly as bad as it did when he imagined Hiei in a similar disposition. He felt as if his heart was being strained to its limit just by keeping him from not breaking down and crying, and the frustration of not being able to do anything about the koorime twins' disappearance for a whole week. He absent mindedly fondeled the string around his neck which his Hiei's tear gem under his shirt. Kurama had decided that he would wear Hiei's necklace until they found the siblings, so Kurama could show Hiei he had taken care of it just as well as Hiei himself would've done. Also, though Kurama would never openly admit this to anyone, it also reminded him of his beloved half-Koorime, and of the silent vow Kurama had made to make sure to slowly and painfully murder everyone of the demons who dared to touch his little hiyoukai. Kurama then suddenly remember a promise that he had made with Hiei shortly after the Makai Tournament had been concluded.

**-Begin Flashback!-**

"Promise me, Hiei," he had said. "Promise me that if you ever in trouble, don't hesitate to call me , or ask for help." (A/N He means, call him telepathically, with the Jagan)

"Hn. Only if you do too, Fox," he replied. "If something ever happens to you, just call my name, and I will hear you no matter which of the three worlds I'm in," he said, pointing to his sleeping Jagan.

"Alright, Hiei," Kurama replied, smiling. "It's a deal." And, with that being said, they shook hands.

**-End Flashback!-**

Kurama chuckled under his breath.

'Hiei...' he thought, blushing slightly. 'You're always so adorable... You act so tough on the outside, but on the inside, you're really just a big softy.'

"Shuiichi-kun?" a female voice to his right called out, making him jump.

"H-hai, Kobayashi-san?" he said quickly, turning towards the girl that had approached him.

"Well, the bell rang a while ago, and I just wanted to make sure you were all right."

"Oh, yes, I'm fine," he lied, quickly standing up and smiling, making the girl blush. "Just a little tired, I suppose."

"Oh, well, I'm glad to hear you're alright," She said, still blushing. "but, promise me you'll go straight home and get some rest!"

Kurama flashed her another one of his lady killer smiles, and said "Thank you for your concern. You have my word that I will do just that." And with that, he bowed to the girl, and walked out the classroom door, leaving the blushing girl speachless in his wake.

**--Owari--**

Hatoko: YAY!!!! ANOTHER CHAPTER DOWN! Not to mention, this one is the longest yet!

Kurama: (pant pant pant)

Hatoko: What's with you, Kura-kun?

Kurama: You didn't even have anyone acting throughout that whole chapter except me!

Hatoko: Yeah, and I told you that you were going to be alone up there, except for my guest appearance. Besides, you got all your lines right, so don't worry!

Kurama: ..... No fair....

Hatoko: Hey, no one ever said life was gonna be fair, Kura-kun, get used to it already.

**-Silence-**

Hatoko:...... Is it just me, or does it feel like... something's missing...?

Kurama: I think you're right.....

**Elsewhere--**

Hiei: (struggling to get free from the ropes binding his hands and feet as he is forced to sit through his third time watching "The Care Bear Movie") I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS, FILTHY, BAKA ONNA!!!!!!

**Back to the breakroom--**

Hatoko: A-a-a-achoo!

Kurama: God bless you. Are you getting a cold?

Hatoko: No, I don't think so... Maybe someone's talking about me....?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, that's all there is minna-san! I hope you enjoyed today's installment! Just remember what I said, Imomen, aka Fireyoukaivixen! I was serious! Anyways, please review, and tell me what you think! You know how much I enjoy it! Well, t-t-f-n! Tah tah for now!

1) I wasn't sure if people would be confused by this or not, so I decided to add a little note at the bottom here. In Japan, kids go to school Monday-Saturday, and have only Sunday off. However, their school days are shorted, to compensate for the loss of Saturday in the weekly thing. Anyways, just wanted to clear up that misunderstanding, assuming there was one. You can never be too sure!

-Hatoko-


	4. Chapter Three: Exploration and Healing

Disclaimer: Don't own Yuyu, but, hopefully, I'll own a new DVD of it, if I can convince my mom to take me shopping soon! --;;

Hatoko: I'm not feeling very witty right now... I can't think of anything funny to say! T-T

Hiei: That's no shock. You're never funny.

Hatoko: I'd rather have people think I don't act funny then be the same kind of funny you are: Funny lookin'!

Kurama: Now, now, children. Can't you see **someone'**s trying to get their **homework **done, over here?

Hatoko: Woah. Who spit in your Cheerios?

Kurama: Hah hah. Not funny.

Hatoko: Then why'd you laugh?

Kurama: (vein popping out on his forehead) What does it take to get a little piece and quite around here?!

Hatoko: Actually, th--mph!

Hiei: (with a hand over Hatoko's mouth) Quiet, baka, or, do you want me to tape your mouth shut?

Hatoko: (shakes head vigorously)

Hiei: Then do us all a favor, and shut the hell up! (takes his hand away from her mouth)

Kurama: Thanks, Hiei.

Hiei: Hn.

Hatoko: (cries) I know when I'm not wanted! Then, I guess I'll just do the only thing that'll cheer me up after **both** of you (usually it's just Hiei) ganged up on me... Thank the reviewers! Whoot!

Hiei: Be quiet about it, baka!

Hatoko: (sticks tongue out at Hiei) Yeah, yeah. No need to be pushy!

Hiei: Hmph!

**Black-Fire-Ryu**: Hahaha! What can I say, it just come naturally! Well, as I always say, we all have to have our secrets! The st--

Hiei: You don't always say that, baka liar!

Hatoko: So? It doesn't have the same effect if you say "I occasionally say"!

Hiei: At least that has a little truth in advertising!

Hatoko: As soon as you're through, Interruptor Jones, I'll continue!

Hiei: Hn!

**Black-Fire-Ryu**: Sorry about that. As I was saying, the story plot is one of the secrets I'm keeping! And, I'm still updating as often as my busy (cough) schedule permits! --;;

**Rebekah**: I'm trying, I'm trying! (pant, wheeze, hack) You're hard to keep up with! --;;

**Fireyoukaivixen**: Hey, just because I made you find my account, I only have two names that I could possibly make it, as they consist of everything else I have that require some type of username, so it would be obvious what I would choose! You, on the other hand, have so many different names, you can't even count them all on one hand! Oh, and, it's not that I have any type of grudge against Hiei... it's just that, he's a LITTLE BRAT. (Hiei: Hn! Baka onna!) But, you know as well as I do (starts whispering) that in reality, I love him to death! He's my favorite Yuyu character! Anyways (stops whispering) I like Care Bears... although, I think the Care Bear Cousins were... a bit... much. --;; We could've done without them. Thankies, then, I guess... --;;

**LoversPastForgotten**: Thankies! I think you don't need to worry about one thing: anyone dying. Character death has always really gotten to me too, so, one of the things I told myself when I decided to write a fic like this, was, I wouldn't kill anyone off. So, don't worry!

**KayHiei**: Thank you! I'm sure the little bugger will be fine... and, no prob! I'm trying to update as quickly as possible! --;;

**Agent Dark Moose**: Hahaha! I'm trying to update fast! Thank you so much! You have no idea how happy it makes me to know that you love me story! Arigatou gozaimasu! (bows deeply)

Hatoko: Thanks again, minna-san! Now, no more dwaddling! Come on, Hiei, Kurama! It's time to start!

Hiei: Hn.

Kurama: Very well... I didn't get to finish my homework, though... --;;

Hatoko: By the way, just to let you know, the chapter is following Yukina. I won't say "her point of view", because she's not the one telling the story, but she's the only one whose thoughts are heard, and whose opinion and decisions sway the story plot. Just as a little tid bit of info about this chapter. Enjoy!

**The Day the Hiroseki Fell**

**Chapter Three: Exploration and Healing**

Yukina awoke with a start, and put a hand to her throbbing head. After a few minutes, dizziness passed, and her vision started to clear. She looked around the room she was now situated in, and it immediately dawned on her that she was no longer in Genkai-san's temple. The room was large, made of stone, and the furnishings were unexpectedly modern from the old look the room itself seemed to be immitting. There was a bed (that she was currently sitting on), a bookshelf in the opposite corner, with the door next to that. In the center of the room, was a square table, with two chairs on opposing sides, and in another corner was a trunk, presumably from guests staying long intervals, so they would a have place to store their clothing. In between the trunk and the bed, sat the lone window of the room. Yukina took in all these features and gasped. She jumped off the bed, and ran over to the window. The scenery behind the shades confirmed her doubts. A little weak-kneed, she felt her way along the wall back to the bed, and plopped down on it as everything registered itself in her mind. She was no longed in Genkai-san's temple, for sure. Heck, she wasn't even in the Ningenkai anymore!

Quickly gathering her thoughts, Yukina made up her mind. She got up quickly from where she had slumped back against the bed, and moved to the door. She turned the handel, and was amazed when the door opened; she had been expecting it to be locked. She slowly and quietly opened the door, and glanced up and down the hallway beyond. Seeing no one, she quickly slid through the doorway, shut it behind her with a small 'snap!', then ran down the hallway to her left, leading downwards. The corner at the end of the hall turned her right, and she kept running until she reached the main passage.

'This is a big castle,' she thought. 'So why haven't I seen anybody yet?'

Not that she wanted too, of course. She wasn't that stupid. No, she would work on getting out of this wretched castle first.

The first time Yukina ran across someone, she was at least three floors further down the keep. She ducked down a hall to her left (she likes going left, okies? --;;) and, as the person walked by her hall she managed to catch a glimpse of the person as he ran hurriedly in the direction opposite the one she had been going in. It was a small demon boy, whose tattered and dirty clothes revealed him as a servant boy. He was muttering to himself as he passed, and Yukina could hear a bit of what he was saying.

"...'to take care of the fire demon, Yastushi... if the Jaganshi dies, it will be _your_ neck on the line...' Jeez, what do they think Yatsushi is? Yatsushi serves M'lady, not that three-eyed freak..."

Yukina gasped. 'A three-eyed fire demon, known as Jaganshi? That could only be one person!'

"Hiei-san..." Yukina muttered.

She couldn't believe that Hiei was here, too. She had always thought of Hiei as unbelievably strong, like all of Kazuma-san's friends, and it was greatly difficult for her to accept the fact that one of them had actually been captured, Hiei inparticular.

'Oh, come on, Yukina!' she mentally chided herself. 'If that boy _was_ talking about Hiei-san, then the way he had said "if the Jaganshi dies" made it sound like Hiei-san is not in very good shape at all! I must find him immediately!'

She glanced out into the main hall again, and moved quicker down the hall then ever, only stopping occasionally to duck into a deserted coorider or room to avoid people, of which, the number seemed to increase the further down in the castle she got.

Finally, after what seemed like hours and hours, Yukina came to the main floor. This floor, as opposed to the upper floors, was bustling with activity. She stood behind the door to the hall, wondering how she was going to make it through the throngs of people without being noticed. Certainly, at least _one_ would recognize her as their hostage. It was then that she noticed a laundry cart sitting along the wall opposite her, unattended (convinient, neh?). She cautiously wondered over to it, and picked up one of the garments inside. It wsa a robe, brown and patchy, but, at least it was clean, and it would get the job done. She pulled the cloak over her head, making sure to hide all of her distinguishing features that might make someone recognize her, and ventured out into the throng of people.

She was shoved and pushed from both sides, people constantly running into her, without bothering to excuse themselves, as demons of every shape and size seemed to be fighting each other, just to get to where ever they were going, first. Yukina managed to push herself across the cavarnous main entrance, to the side opposite that which she came; the entrance leading further down, presumably, to the dungeons.

Once she managed to break through the edge of people around the entrance, she pulled the hood off her face, and noticed that, like the cooridors upstairs, these ones were deserted as well. And, she was starting to pick up a trace of Hiei's ki, which was either warded, or dangerously low. She smiled, glad that her intuition had been correct, and she would soon be reunited with Hiei, so she could heal any wounds he might've sustained, and so they could get out of here without further incident. With her mind and heart set, she followed Hiei's ki towards the source, which lead her through a maze of different dungeons, torture chambers, and interrogation rooms. Finally, at long last, she decended the last of the stairs, and found the little youkai on a not-very-comfortable-looking bed.

"Hiei-san!" she exclaimed, and ran towards the semi-concious figure.

"Y-yukina-chan," he breathed, opening his eyes a fraction of an inch to see his sister's face peering at him with concern written all over her soft features.

"Hiei-san, don't try to talk," she said, kneeling next to him and bringing her hands up to his chest. "And bear with me for a few moments please."

At once, a blue wave of energy radiated from Yukina's small hands as she began healing Hiei's wounds. After a few minutes of concentrated silence, Yukina looked into Hiei's eyes and smiled.

"All done!" she said, happily.

Hiei sat up, and put a hand to his chest.

"Thank you." he said quietly.

"My pleasure!" Yukina replied brightly. "But, more importantly, Hiei-san, do you have any idea where we are, or why we were brought here?"

Hiei shook his head, and looked down at his clenched fist.

"All I know, is that the cowards waited until I was wounded after one of Mukuro's missions, and cornered me at the fox's house before making me over-exert myself, then knocked me out. They at least didn't do something so violent to you, did they?"

Yukina shook her head. "My guess is that they used chloroform, judging by how my head felt when I woke up."

Hiei nodded and said, "Now, we need to think of a way out of here."

"Not so fast," said a cool female voice.

The twins' heads shot toward the doorway, where the voice had come from. Hiei started growling, and Yukina gasped and put her hands to her mouth.

'But, that is...!' Yukina thought. 'How can this be?'

**-Owari-**

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Hatoko: Oooh, nasty cliffhanger there.

Hiei: Yeah, really. That's not very nice.

Hatoko: Since when have you cared?

Hiei: ..... good point.

Kurama: Still.... --;;

Hatoko: Whatever, you two. I was originally planning on making this two sepreate chapters, but, since I didn't meet my deadline (much to my shagrin) I decided to put the next two chapters together, so, hopefully, you'll all forgive me. (looks up with big watery eyes) But, it also wasn't my fault! was being really screwy yesterday, so I couldn't log in, or post reviews! Meaning, I couldn't post my story, either! So, I'm _really_ sorry! (bows low)

Hiei: Hah! Blame it on the computer...

Hatoko: What! Hiei, you were there! You saw that it didn't work!

Hiei: I only see what I want to see, baka.

Hatoko: So, you're saying that you chose not to see the fact that the website wasn't working?

Hiei: Precisely.

Hatoko: Hah! You just admitted that it wasn't working! So there!

Hiei: Wha.... Not fair!

Hatoko: Yeah, yeah, Hi-chan! Don't be embarrassed because I tricked you!

Hiei: Hn!

Kurama: Hatoko-san, I think you should wrap this up now... People are probably getting bored now, and I still need to finish my homework... --;;

Hatoko: Okies, Kurama. If you say so. Whelpers, everybody, thanks for bearing with me for this long and please, please, please review! Thankies! Oh, just one more thing I wanted to share with you all before I left. The other day, I went to the store, and I finally got the Yuyu Hakusho movie, Poltergeist Report! Whoot! My favorite part was when the guy with the Evil Eye blew up the bridge, and Kuwabara was about to attack him, when Hiei stuck out his foot and tripped him. I laughed soooooo hard. Anyways, that was it! T-t-f-n! Tah tah for now!

-Hatoko-


	5. Chapter Four: Bordum and Departure

**Disclaimer!**: Still not owning, still very much caring... T-T

Hatoko: Well... I wrote most of this chapter during my Algebra class. n.n;; This chapter is hereby deticated to my Algebra teacher, for teaching nothing but useless garbage that's not going to help anyone, including me, out in the real world, but still, the school systems make it mandatory anyway for some reason that no one can quite discern, so, that aspiring (cough) Algebra students such as myself, can take that time, and use it to their hearts content, doing various other such things that are far more important than sharpening nonexistant mathematical technique. n.n

Hiei: Well, that was useless.

Kurama: As much as I agree that Algebra is rather, um... useless (put bluntly), that was very long winded. You could've just left it at the "this chapter is hereby deticated to my Algebra teacher..."

Hatoko: Oh, hush you. So I'm talkative. Sue me.

Kurama: n.n;;

Hatoko: Anyways, time for "THANKIES TO THE REVIEWERS FOR SUPPORTING ME THUS FAR"! Whoot!

**Rebekah**: Be demanding! It makes me update faster! I'm just glad that you like this little ficcy of mine! n.n

**Escptheshdw835**: Thank you very much! I'm glad that you like it so much! n.n

**Lynn (Agent Dark Moose)**: Yes, cliffhanger! And, I'll be brutally honest, and say, it doesn't get resolved in this chapter! OH, HO HO HO HO HO HO HO! I'm so evil! Thankies so much! I'm glad you like my writing that much! It makes me very happy to hear! Especially because I've always been reluctant about showing other people my works, for fear of them being insulted. n.n;; Thank you soooo much!

**Hiei's Gothic Angel**: Hahaha! Your fics are really good yourself! By the way, I'm the annonymous reviewer "Hatoko" that reviewed on your "Suicidal Thoughts" fic. That was before I had decided to get a name on this site. n.n I'm glad you like it so much! n.n

**Silvermane1**: Thank you very much for reviewing! I'm glad you think it's "cool" ! n.n;;

**DemonUntilDeath**: Thankies! Hahaha! It was a hard decision for me to make, to leave it there, believe me. I considered adding just one more line that would've given it all away, and wouldn't have been quite so suspenseful (actually, probably not at all... --;;), but, then, I decided against it. n.n;;

**Fireyoukaivixen**: Yeah, yeah, I updated. But, it was for all of these adoring people who reviewed because they don't feel obligated to like it, just because they don't know me in person. T-T And, I'm glad you like cliffhangers so much! (mental note: put in more cliffhangers just to tick Imomen off) n.n

**What2callmyself**: Hahaha! Yeah, the movie was really good. Although, Hinageshi's hair really bothered me. The way she had that one piece that just sorta, floated above her head.... urg. It made me kinda angry. Hmm... I don't know why your reviews weren't getting in before, but I certainly got this one! n.n (no da!) I'm glad you like it! I'm updating, I'm updating!

**Black-Fire-Ryu**: Hahahaha! Sorry, it was too tempting! (evil grin) But, you don't find out in this chappie, but, more than likely, it will be the one after this! n.n So, not too long a wait, I guess... n.n;;

**Hikari Yume**: Umm.... I'm not sure if I should take that as a compliment or not... but, I guess I'll take it as the former, because I don't wanna believe that I'm getting flamed just yet. T-T And, I know it wasn't meant in the bad way. n.n (Was it?? Oo). Oh, and by the way.... it's a conspiracy. Run while you can. Oo

**LoversPastForgotten**: Ah, yes.... the old dramatization that is suspense... You gotta love it. n.n

**Yami (YoukaiYami)**: Thankies! I'm never sure if people actually like those, because we all know how boring Kura-kun and Hi-chan are (Hiei: Baka onna!, Kurama: ::sigh::), so it makes me very happy that you like them! n.n I'm glad you liked my others, as well! That makes me a very happy Hatoko! n.n Well, thankies very much, once again!!

Hatoko: ARIGATOU GOZAIMASHITA, MINNA-SAN!!!!!!!!!!!! (bows as deeply as human possible) I'm so happy! Thankies for all of the reviews! It really means a lot to me! n.n Well, Hiei and Kurama aren't in very talky moods ('cause I said so! ::glares over at them::), so... right on to what you've all been waiting for! The main event: MY FIC! WHOOT!

Hiei: It isn't that good, you know...

Hatoko: I thought I said you weren't talky! (glares)

Hiei: Hn. Whatever, baka onna.

Kurama: Now, now, children.... n.n;;

**The Day the Hiroseki Fell**

**Chapter Four: Bordum and Departure**

Yuusuke sighed. He _desperately_ didn't want to be there. In fact, he had even considered ditching. However, Keiko had brought up a stellar point: if Botan was going to try to reach him anywhere during the day, she would come here first. So, he had been convinced to attend _all_ week.

Ch. School. Who needed it?

'At least,' Yusuke thought as he snuck up to the roof of the old school during lunch break. 'Just because I have to be in this _building_ doesn't mean I have to be in any of its _classes_...'

At that very moment, however, Kuwabara burst open the door to the stair well. Yusuke looked up at the taller boy, from where he was lying on the cool concrete, hands folded behind his head acting as a pillow.

"Woah, whatsa matter, Kuwa-chan?" Yusuke mocked, closing his eyes against the sun, and the glare that Kuwabara had offered him. "You usually don't cut. Up here, anyways." he added as an after thought.

"Hah hah, very funny, Urameshi," Kuwabara retorted. "But, unlike you, I actually _try_ to get smarter."

"Whatever, brainiac," Yusuke replied seemingly feeling too lazy to take the bait. "You didn't answer my question. What are you doing up here?"

"Lookin' for you, what else?" Kuwabara stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. He shrugged as Yusuke glared at him, and let himself slide down the wall into a sitting position next to said youth on the concrete.

"Why were _you_ looking for _me_?" Yusuke asked, suspicious.

"Oh, yeah," Kuwabara responded, somberly, getting back on topic. "I was just thinking--"

"Well, that was your first mistake," Yusuke said, sounding equally serious.

"Hey, I'm trying to tell you something here!" Kuwabara yelled indignantely.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm listening..." Yusuke said, bored.

"Anyways," Kuwabara continued, glaring at Yusuke as if daring him to interupt again. Yusuke smirked.

"I was thinking..."

This time, he stopped of his own accord, and a dreamy expression came over his face.

"Yeah...?" Yusuke prompted him.

"Well, I was thinking..." he repeated for a third time, turning to Yusuke. "What if Yukina and the shrimp really _aren't_ alright? Like, we try to put the thought in our heads that nothing could happen to them just to make ourselves feel better. I mean, we all know how powerful the shrimp is, and that, given the chance, he would almost gladly protect Yukina, but what if he was warded, or something? Then, he probably wouldn't even be able to protect _himself_, let alone Yukina."

"But, you forget," Yusuke said. "That Yukina is no helpless child. She's a Koorime Ice Maiden, and she has powers of her own, and they're nothing meager. Or, did you forget, that before we met her, she wandered the _Makai_, of all places, looking for her brother? She knows how to take care of herself. And besides, there is always the risk of someone getting hurt. It wouldn't be much of a challenge if someone didn't have to eat dirt for it."

"I guess you're, Urameshi..." Kuwabara sighed.

"Of course I'm right, baka!" Yusuke yelled as he thrust his foot into Kuwabara's stomache.

"Teme! What was that for?!"

"For getting too serious around me!"

"What does it matter if I'm serious?!"

"Because _I_ don't like it, ahou!"

"Why don't you call me that to my face?!"

"I'd prefer to not get any closer to your ugly mug than I have to!"

"URAMESHI!" Kuwabara yelled. "I'll get you for that!"

"Riiiiight.... Sure you will."

"YUUUUUUUUSSSSUUUUUKKKKKKKKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Both teens looked up for where they were wrestling on the ground in time to see a flustered, but cheerful, Botan speeding down towards the school on her oar.

"Botan!" Yusuke called as she came to a sudden halt in front of them. "What's up?"

"Koenma's got a lead!" she gasped, trying to regain her breath. "One of our operatives said he felt faint ki signatures of Hiei and Yukina near a portal in Makai. After a little seraching around, we figured out that they weren't warded until after they were brought to wherever the kidnappers so appropiate, so, if you consentrate hard enough, you could pick up their traces easily enough, and hopefully, be able to follow said traces to where they are!"

"So, we're finally on the case?" Yusuke asked, disbelieving.

"Hai, hai!" Botan replied cheerfully.

"Took friggin' long enough..." he sighed. "So, when do we leave?" he added to Botan.

"As soon as possible, of course!" she chirped.

"Well, _we_ can leave anytime," Yusuke started, gesturing at Kuwabara. "But Kurama will probably want to wait until his school gets out."

"Well, call him, just to make sure of a time that school gets out for him. Kuwabara, you and me are going to go find Keiko and tell her what's up."

"Huh?" Kuwabara said, taken aback as Botan pushed him towards the stairwell door. "Why do I have to go? She's Urameshi's girlfriend! He should tell her!"

"I don't know what class she's in, and I want to talk to her. Yusuke's calling Kurama, so you're the only one that could lead me to where she is!" Botan yelled as they went down the stairs. "Now, MARCH!"

Yusuke sighed.

"Yes ma'am," he heard Kuwabara say, in a defeated voice.

He rustled through his pockets for a few minutes until he withdrew the purple communication mirror that looked so much like a compact, as Kuwabara reminded him every time he took it out, and he pushed one of the buttons that he had been told would "call Kurama".

He waited a few minutes, staring at a blank screen until Kurama's face appeared in the little compact.

"Yusuke, what is it?" he hissed. "You're just lucky that the teacher stepped out for a few minutes to take a phone call..."

"Jeez, dude, chill!" Yusuke said, apologetically. "You know I wouldn't call you on this thing during school if it wasn't important! Anyways," he continued. "Botan just came to my school, and told me that Hiei and Yukina's ki traces were found near a portal in Makai. All that needs to be done, is track the signatures until the sources, Hiei and Yukina, are found."

"What does that have to do with us?" Kurama asked, perhaps a bit more coldly than he had intended. Ever since his little hiyoukai had vanished, he'd been snapping at people he normally wouldn't , and he was getting annoyed more easily about the most trivial things. Basically, he figured he was depressed. 'Wait... Did I just call him "my hiyoukai"?' Kurama thought, blushing. Through the compact, however, Yusuke didn't notice.

"_We're_ the ones that will be doing the tracing!" Yusuke exclaimed, not hearing Kurama's mental musings, prehaps for the better.

"You mean..." Kurama said slowly.

"Yep!" Yusuke cut in. "The Reikai Tantei are on the case!"

"Finally!" Kurama sighed. "When are we leaving?"

"Botan said as soon as possible, but..." Yusuke began, but Kurama cut him off.

"Alright, I'll be at your school gates in ten!" and the compact screen went blank.

"That was weird..." Yusuke mumbled a moment later, and flipped his mirror closed as well. "Kurama never cuts class for a mission, if he can get out of it..."

But, sure enough, ten minutes later, Yusuke, Botan, Kuwabara, and Keiko (who had been informed of their depature, and was seeing them off) watched from the school roof as a figure with brilliantly red hair and a pink uniform to add insult to injury, walked silently up to the school gates, and waited.

"Well, I guess that my cue," Botan said, retrieving her oar from hyper space. "We'll probably stop by Reikai first so you can receive a proper briefing, and so Koenma can babble to you about how two of his most important detectives lives (A/N: Ever since Koenma sent Kuwabara and Yusuke out to save Yukina from Torukane, I've considered her a Tantei, even though she doesn't go on missions, or anything. n.n;;) rest on your shoulders, and that there is no room for failure. After we get the 'okay' from him, _then_ we will set out for Makai. Any questions?" she asked, boarding the oar, and motioning for the other two to do the same.

"Just one," Yusuke replied, clambering onto the oar behind Botan. "Shouldn't you have waited until Kurama was with us to tell us that?"

Botan put on her cat face and yelled, "Well, it's not as if Reikai is only five minutes away! We''l tell him on the way there!"

"Whatever," Yusuke sighed. "Let's just go."

Kurama, who had heard Botan's yelling, was now watching them descend towards the concrete where he was standing, eagerly. Yusuke was suprised at this, because Kurama, like every Tantei hated Botan's flying, and usually got sick within a mere matter of minutes. Botan landed with a soft "plap!" in front of Kurama, and smiled cheeril at him.

"Kon'nichiwa, Kurama-kun!" Botan said happily.

"Kon'nichiwa, Botan-san, Yusuke-kun, Kuwabara-kun," Kurama replied, also smiling.

"Well," Botan said. "Climb aboard, and we'll be off!" she gustured towards her oar.

"Hai," Kurama said, climbing on behind Kuwabara.

"Yosh!" Botan called, and they took off into the sky.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A while later, the weary group finally landed in Makai. Kurama and Yusuke got off shaky and weak-kneed, while Kuwabara ran off to some nearby bushes, a hand over his mouth.

"Well, have fun!" Botan called, flying back to Reikai as the portal closed behind her.

"Yeah, because tracking a fire demon and an Ice Maiden in the middle of the Makai is exactly what I love doing on my weekends!" Yusuke yelled after her.

"So, what now?" Kuwabara asked stepping out from the bushes, a hand still clasped to his stomache, and was still looking a bit green. Yusuke shrugged, about to say something, when Kurama cut him off.

"Right here," he said.

"Huh?" Yusuke and Kuwabara chorused.

"We start right here," he repeated.

"Why there?" Yusuke asked, walking over to him.

"Because of this," he said simply, holding out his right hand for Yusuke and Kuwabara to see.

"But that is..." Yusuke began.

"A piece of Yukina-chan's kimono..."

**-Owari-**

Hatoko: WAHHHH!!!! Finally done! No offense, I love writing this story, but, for some reason, I'm so tired I can barely keep my eyes open, and I seem to have fell asleep at the keyboard a few times, because there will suddenly be words on my compy that weren't there before, and I'm making more and more typos as time goes on (fixing them, of course... n.n;;), and it's only 6:17 P.M.!

Kurama: You're probably just tired. It _is_ true that you didn't get any sleep last night....

Hatoko: I guess so....

Hiei: (snore)

Hatoko: ....Is he snoring, too?

Kurama: I can only imagine (--;;).

Hatoko: Hmm... alright.... after I'm done with this, I am _so_ going to sleep. Well, how was that for a long chapter to make up for not updating in so long?? I was pretty proud of myself. Also, sorry to anyone who likes Koenma, and wanted to hear him chew Yusuke out. I was just too tired to write it all out. Gomen ne! Anyways, I guess that's it! Please, please, please, please review?? For me?? Pretty please??? T-T Anyways, I'm out now, minna-san!

--Hatoko

P.S. To anyone who has not yet noticed, or to people who just don't go to user bios, I've started an "Updates" section, and I'll try to update it every few days, hopefully saying "I've put my new chapter up!", but, if it doesn't, it's probably giving some lame brain excuse as to why it's not up yet. n.n;; Anyways, just wanted to let you know, for those of you who might be interested in why it's taking me so long to update. n.n;; Well, I'm outta here! Ja ne!


	6. Chapter Five: Revelations and Reasons

**Disclaimer**: No, no, I really _do_ own Yuyu... That's why I'm posting on a fan fiction site.

Hatoko: Wow... I just went to an old account on an old site that I hadn't been on in a couple of days (n.n;;), and I had 14 new mails! I was so happy that people actually care about me...!

Hiei: You coincidentally forget to mention that 12 out of the 14 were from the same person...

Hatoko: Oh, come on! Is that pessimistic attitude really necessary, Hi-kun? Especially when I'm in such a good mood, too!

Hiei: Hn. I wouldn't care if you were on _top of the world_, let alone in a "good mood".

Hatoko: Whatever, Hiei... (sudden idea) If you don't be nice to me, I won't bring Kurama back!

Hiei: Huh? Where _is_ Kurama?

Hatoko: Shopping. But, I could conviniently use the powers I have over my fan fiction to move the house, or make Kurama get lost, in the woods, or get inot a sudden accident that could prevent him from getting home....

Hiei: That's not fair, baka onna!

Hatoko: Dear Hi-kun! No one ever said life was going to be fair!

Hiei:... Hn. Fine.

Hatoko: That's more like it! Anyways, now it's time to thank the reviewers!!!!! wHoOt!

**Black-Fire-Ryu**: Hey! It's tough, being an inspiring authoress with thousands and _thousands_ of fans world wide who just can't wait for my updates every few weeks, and they're **thankful** when it happens! (n.n;;) But, I guess you know what it's like, with two ficcies of your own... still, though... I'm trying to keep it even! I can't favor one over the other, that wouldn't be right!

**LoversPastForgotten**: WAI!!!!!!!!!!!!! I... I feel loved! Hell, I _AM_ loved! Arigatou gozaimashita! I'm happy to hear you love my work so much! Hum... speaking of updating, update your new ficcy soon too, okies??? It's really good!!!

**What2callmyself**: Hmm.... I used to know the name of the second one... but I can't think of it off the top of my head... argh! Sorry! I'm having brain failure! n.n;; Hahaha! yeah... Poor Kura-chan... but, he'll get over it. n.n I'm updating as soon as my school schedule premits! n.n;;

**Silvermane1**: Hehehe... yeah... Kurama just can't deal with his little hiyoukai for too long!

**Hiei's Gothic Angel**: You're welcome! It was my pleasure! Especially because it's a good ficcy! Update it again soon, okies? YAY, Hiei/Kura pairings!! I'm glad you think so highly of my ficcy! It makes me really happy! n.n Hahaha! What can I say? I guess cliffies are just what I'm good at! (Although, I'm not sure if it's something to be proud of or not.... n.n;;).

**Lynn (Agent Dark Moose)**: Hahaha! Okies, okies! Thankies! Really? That's not something I would've expected from a topic such as vampires... I really like your writing, and vampires are cool too! Humph. Some people are so closed minded... Speaking of your fics, you should update "Death Dimension" really soon!!! Please? n.n;; Anyways, I hope this story doesn't become such that I have to stop production! That would make me sad! T-T It mostly runs on support from viewers like you, so, keep the reviews comin'! n.n Well.... I suppose I _could_ include some character torture... but, I've already promised no character death, so, I can't go that far. Who would you want to be tortured? (getting too into this...)

**Imomen**: Hey! You already told me what you thought, so I figured it would be easier to put it in review form! That way, I'b be able to remember when it came time for my chapterly "Thank the reviewers" section. It's not my fault I like simplicity! And, yes, I did say "teme", and I was laughing the whole time I wrote that chapter because of it. n.n;;

**Ice princess fire princes**: Thankies! Although, I'm not sure why your reivew was for chapter two, of all things... Oo

Hatoko: Arigatou, minna-san! All of your reviews mean sooo much to me! They're enough to let me put up with Hiei, even!

Hiei: Hey, woman, where is Kurama? (puts a hand on his katana)

Hatoko: Actually, I don't even think he's out of the store yet... at least, I'm not that quick when I go shopping... n.n;;

Hiei: Humph... very well. Let's get this over with as quickly as possible.

Hatoko: Jeez, Hiei, you're such a slave driver! n.n;; But, I guess we'll do as the midget says. Onward!

**The Day the Hiroseki Fell**

_Hiei nodded and said, "Now, we need to think of a way out of here."_

_"Not so fast," said a cool female voice. _

_The twins' heads shot toward the doorway, where the voice had come from. Hiei started growling, and Yukina gasped and put her hands to her mouth._

_'But, that is...!' Yukina thought. 'How can this be?'_

**Chapter Five: Revelations and Reasons**

Hiei hadn't noticed it, but his voice had jumped to life of its own accord, and was growling at the female figure standing in the doorway to the dungeon they had kept him locked in.

He stopped however, when he noticed Yukina's expression, and for some reason, could hear her thoughts as if they had an open connection. It was strange. He knew the Jagan was closed, and, he knew that because they were brother and sister, their connection was stronger than most, but... He could hear it clearly.

'But, that is...!' she gasped, shock, incomprehension, and even a small trace of fear evident in her inner voice. 'How can this be?'

Turning his gaze towards his ignorant twin, instead of the mystery woman, silently inquiring her with his eyes as to who this demoness actually was.

Yukina seemed to be lost in her own shock stricken world, however, as she did not answer Hiei's unvoiced question, nor even look up at him. At this point, the demoness spoke.

"Well," her voice seemed almost as cold as the ice she controlled, yet it had a degree of warmth in it that seemed to come from familiarity with both occupants of the room. It was the "both" part that had Hiei baffled. "Long time, no see, Yukina-chan."

Yukina was snapped out of her reverie at being addressed by the demoness. "H-hai, Rui-san..." she answered meekly.

He whipped around to face the occupant of the doorway. "_You're_ Rui?" he asked, rather rudely.

"Aww, Hi-kun..." Rui said, mockingly. "Don't you even remember your "Aunt" Rui?"

"I remember you..." Hiei spat out. He was about to say more, but realized Yukina was staring right at him.

"Hiei-san..." she began. "Why would you know Rui-san?"

"My, my..." Rui said, her words sounding almost vicious. "Looks like you've got a dirty little secret. Why didn't you ever tell her? Especially after you've know known her for years..."

Hiei growled, and Yukina looked even more puzzled.

"Tell me what, Hiei-san?" (A/N: She's a bit slow, okies? n.n;;)

"Why, my dear Yukina," Rui said. "Hiei here is the brother you've been searching for most of your life."

The damage was done. Hiei quickly hid his face from Yukina as she turned to look at him.

"Hiei-san, is this true...?" she asked, her voice trembling.

Hiei didn't answer. All that he had done... he knew that Yukina would never forgive him, throw him out like he was garbage. Everyone else did... except the fox. And the few friends he had made through the service of Koenma... but, he wouldn't even have been in Koenma's service if Kurama hadn't convinced both him and Koenma that it would benefit both of them.

"Koenma, you will get a new, powerful detective..." he had said, to Koenma, and, turning to Hiei, he added "And you, Hiei, won't be forced to an execution."

Ah, how Hiei missed his fox... but, now he was getting off topic. 'If the fox were here, he'd know what to do...' he thought.

Hiei had to mentally shake himself. The fox _wasn't_ here, and he had to use his _own_ wits to get out of this. His trembling barely visible, he turned back to Yukina.

"Yukina, I --" he began, but his voice faultered, so he breathed out once, and in again, deeply. "Yukina, what she speaks is the truth. I am your brother. I-I don't mind if you hate me for it, just --"

He was once again cut off, but not of his own accord this time. Yukina had flung herself on him, and was sobbing uncontrollably into his chest. The few tears that managed to escape his cloak landed with a soft 'plink!' on the stone floor **(1)**.

"Hiei-san..." she sobbed into his chest. "I don't hate you...! I'm just shocked... I'm sorry," she she, breaking her grip on him to look into his face, her happy smile turning into a somewhat sorrowful smirk.

"What do _you_ have to be sorry about?" Hiei asked, incredulous.

"I'm sorry I didn't figure it out sooner," she replied, the tears now widely streaming down her face and onto the floor in front of the bed. "It must've been so hard, keeping this to yourself this whole time. To not say, or do anything that would give it away..."

"Don't be sorry!" Hiei blurted out quickly. "I'm the one who didn't tell you! But, aren't you..." he added, mumbling. "Aren't you... a little bit angry... that I knew... and didn't tell you... all this time... that you were searching...?"

"Of course not!" Yukina replied cheerily. "I'm sure you must've had your reasons. I'm not angry at all!"

At this, it was Hiei's turn to smile. As slight as it was, just the barely visible raising of his ever-frowning mouth, Yukina noticed, and giggled with joy.

They had both completely forgotten about the person watching them with a satisfied smirk on her face.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rui watched the scene, and smiled to herself.

'Well, that went well,' she thought. But, her thoughts instantly became serious again. 'But, it still needs to happen... and we don't have much time...' Her gaze was now fixed solely on the smiling Hiei. 'But... what if the scriptures were wrong...? What if something happens, and it doesn't turn out correctly...? No, Rui,' she thought, mentally slapping herself. 'You know everything in those scriptures are correct. You can't get cold feet now. If you do... But, they'll need to know soon.'

And, with that, she cleared her throat rather conspicuously to let them know that she was still there. Both of them turned in her direction.

"I hate to break up the happy reunion..." she said, her suddenly warm, light voice filled with seriousness. "But we need to talk. Now." she added, and turned to go up the stairs, and motioned for them to follow her.

Both twins watched her retreating back for a while, before turning to each other, and nodding. Hiei jumped off the bed, and had a bit of trouble catching his balance, as he had been injured not but minutes before. Yukina rushed to help him, and after he had recovered, Hiei took position in the front, Yukina behind him.

Rui glanced behind her, and grinned when she saw the two following her. 'Seems like curiosity got the better of them after all,' she thought, smugly.

A good, ten minutes later, Hiei and Yukina found themselves standing directly behind Rui, who had stopped at a closed door. They were still in the underground levels, Yukina could tell because they hadn't been back through that Great Hall. Rui opened the two large wooden doors in front of her, and stepped in. Hiei and Yukina mimicked her actions, albeit a bit slower, taking in their new surroundings with slight interest. They had walked into an enormous room, with a pointed ceiling reaching as far as the eye could see. The floor had an... "interesting" shag carpet, over which were situated three soft chairs placed in a cemi-circle around one side of the table, facing them. On the short legged table, were all sorts of Koorime snack foods. Yukina smiled happily as she noticed her favorite: ice cold Ramundi **(2)**, with gingered orange fish sauce. Hiei recognized some of the foods, but wasn't sure if he had ever eaten them, what with his only short time of living on the Floating Isle, but he thought he might've tried some... maybe at one of Yukina's parties...? Anyways, he couldn't remember.

Rui had taken a seat in one of the three chairs around the small table, and motioned for the twins to do the same. Hiei sat next to Rui, who had been sitting in the one on the left, while Yukina was on his right. Both twins were now looking at Rui expectantly.

"Now, now," Rui said, smiling. "No need to act so hostile. I suppose you want to know why I had you two brought here?"

"And none too gently..." Hiei muttered, earning a playful slap on the arm from Yukina. "Yes," she said, turning back to Rui. "It might help."

"Right," Rui said, darkening. "Well, as you both now know, Hiei is the Forbidden Child of the Koorimes, tossed off of the Floating Island at birth, by yours truly."

"Hai," Yukina said, while Hiei just nodded.

"Well, as you know, any child conceived by a man to a Koorime is marked as forbidden," she continued. "However, Hiei is a special case. Hiei was conceived from a fire demon to an ice demon. That is considered the most dangerous mix possbile. And, even though it seems like the most basic of explainations, and the most obvious, it's because Fire power is dominant over Ice. It has been that way since the seperate elements of Fire and Ice were created, and it will stay that way, meaning Hiei is no exception. In two days, Hiei's fire blood will have elimanated all traces of the ice blood in his veins. That," Rui paused, to add emphasis to her next words. "will be very, _very_ bad."

"Why?" Hiei asked. "I've been living this way all my life, why would it only do something to me in two days?"

"Because, in two days," Rui answered. "is your three hundredth birthday, is it not, Yukina?"

"Hai," Yukina answered, confused. "But, what does that have to do with the Ice and Fire blood that Hiei-san has?"

"Well, even I'm not sure why, but, according to the scriptures that Koorime researchers had written from observing various Forbidden Children, that once every three hundred years, the children conceived by a Fire demon, would spontaneously burst into flames, or would die because they suddenly couldn't control their own powers. So, it was concluded that once, every three hundred years, on the day of the child's birth, the fire blood in the child's veins would've finally managed to destroy all of the Ice that had been keeping it in check, and the only way to stop the process would be to get a power transfusion from someone who had the same Ice blood in their veins that the Fire child had once had."

As Hiei and Yukina digested this information, Rui spoke again.

"Well, now that you know that, I'm sure that the both of you are quite hungry. Please feel free to dig in!" she said, gestering to the food piled on every square inch of the small table.

Yukina happily complied, but Hiei turned to Rui and said "So that's why you took both me and Yukina. So you could preform the power transfusion."

Rui didn't answer, but smiled, and started helping herself to the food Yukina was already merrily helping herself to.

'Then why...' Hiei thought sullenly as he, too, started serving himself from the heaping piles of Koorime cuisine. 'Why does something feel so... _wrong_ about all this...?'

**-Owari-**

**(1)**: In my imagination, Hiroseki are regular tears until they've left the crying Koorime's face, and they turn hard before they hit the floor. In this instance, when Yukina is crying into Hiei's clothing, her tears are being absorbed into the fabric before they can turn into hard gems. Except for the few that missed Hiei's cloak, and fell to the ground, turning into tear gems.

**(2)**: A food found only on the Floating Isle of the Koorimes... I made it up. I was imagining it to be like a cross between a dumpling and ice cream, that you eat with a tooth pick, but are insanely cold. I suppose I was imagining something like the dumplings Usagi (English: Serena) and Chibi-Usa (English: Rini) were eating at the beginning of Sailor Moon S, the movie. n.n;;

Hatoko: I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO sorry it took so long for this chapter, really I am. I've been really busy with some other fics I've been writing... I didn't mean to neglect this one, but... that's just how it turned out. Gomenasai, minna-san! (bows deeply)

**(chirp chirp chirp)**

Hatoko: Uhh.... crickets? Where are Hiei and Kurama again...?

Hatoko: (thinking) --;;

Hatoko: Ah, right! Kurama came back from shopping, and they went.... To that movie! Hum.... Okies... Uh... right... I guess I'll end this now, then. n.n;;

Hatoko: Well, minna-san, I have a question that I need you all to help me with. I have two ways I could take this story right now. I could do the short version, which would end the story rather soon, or I could do the long version, in which the story be rather long and drawn out, more bad stuff would happen to Hiei and quite possibly Yukina and/or Kurama, and it would probably be very suspenseful. So, if you could tell me what you think in your reviews, it would be most appreciated! Arigatou gozaimashita, minna-san! (bows deeply). Well, I'll be off now! Please review, and give me your opinion! Ja ne! n.n

-Hatoko-


	7. Extra Shot: My First Valentine

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Yuyu Hakusho. Yet.

**WARNINGS**: Shonen ai. Boy/boy relationships. Nothing different from anything else I write, but... it seemed appropriate... In case someone suddenly came in in the middle of the story, and didn't know it was shonen ai... okay, I'll shut up now. n.n;;

Hatoko: Straight down to business this afternoon (even though it's currently 10:04 pm). This one-shot is both a thank you for everyone who has helped me achieve over fifty reviews, as well as a belated "Happy Valentine's" fic for all you peeps. I promise that the next _actual_ chapter for "TDTHF" is already done, and just waiting to be posted. I, however, wanted to post this first, so... That's how it went! n.n Now, a big, _huge_ thanks to _all_ of my reviews. In this list, is every reviewer that has ever reviewed. Exciting ne? Anyways, please give a big round of applause to:

**Rebekah**

**Fireyoukaivixen**

**Savani**

**Volpe Di Spirito**

**AzNcHyK66613**

**Hiei's Gothic Angel**

**Agent Dark Moose**

**LoversPastForgotten**

**Maliks-Dragon**

**Naiei-no-Miko**

**Black-Fire-Ryu**

**KayHiei**

**Roy's War Goddess Riku **(formerly "Ice Princess Fire Princes")

**EscptheShdw835**

**Silvermane1**

**DemonUntilDeath**

**What2callmyself**

**Hikari Yume**

**YoukaiYami**

**Imomen**

**Getocat**

**Ame-tennyo**

**YaoiYaoiYeah**

And to all those people mentioned above (and anyone else who could be reading this, I suppose), I will post the next chapter of "TDTHF" in only a few days. I'll wait until I think I have gotten feedback from everyone that's going to give it, then I'll post the real chapter. Which means, it will probably only be a day or two. n.n;;

Hatoko: Anyways, here we go! n.n

**My First Valentine**

_Narrator's POV_

It happened as it did every night: after Kurama had finished eating dinner with his human family, he would go to his room to do his homework. This usually took place from anywhere between 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. He would sit at his desk, trying to concentrate, but was unable to get a certain someone out of his head. Speaking of that someone, it was about time they showed up, ne?

-.-.-.-.-

As if on que, Kurama heard the tapping of the object of his obsession knocking sharply on the window. He glanced at his homework as he turned towards aforementioned window, and grimaced. He hadn't done a single thing since he sat down half an hour ago, but think of his night visitor. Said night visitor then slid the window back, and hopped through the opening. Kurama had always thought that it was terribly cute that his visitor always knocked on the window before coming in, as if to make sure Kurama wasn't doing anything he'd regret others seeing. Kurama smiled brilliantly at his visitor.

"Good evening, Hiei," Kurama said, a small blush rising in his already flushed cheeks. Yes, that's right. Kurama's "secret crush" was the one, the only, Jaganshi Hiei, the one least likely to return his heartfelt emotions. But, unfortunately fortunate for Kurama, he had already come to accept this as his fate. Yet, for some reason, he just couldn't stop himself from getting excited whenever he saw Hiei, which, happened on the same schedule every day.

"Hn. 'Evening, Fox," Hiei mumbled.

Kurama flushed a deeper red and his smile brightened in spite of himself. He _desperately_ needed to get control, yet it was so cute the way Hiei said "'evening", that Kurama just couldn't help himself.

"You seem awefully happy," Hiei commented.

'Well, why _wouldn't_ I be?' Kurama thought. Instead, he chose to say, "Maybe you're just grouchy in comparison to my up-beat personality."

Hiei raised one thin eyebrow at Kurama.

"No..." he voiced. "You are more cheerful than usually today. Besides, I thought that today was one of the better days I've had."

"Well, that's good," Kurama beamed. "What happened to put you in such a mood?"

'Avoiding the question like a rat does a cat,' Hiei thought. However, he decided to humor the not-so-little fox, and talked to him about the events of the day.

-.-.-.-.-

The schedule of the night progressed precisely as always, leaving a disappointed fox to get into bed that night, alone, with Hiei taking his place by the window. Kurama rolled over in bed to face the wall. Hiei was sitting on his window sill, just a few feet from him, gazing at the stars, and Kurama was finding it _very_ hard to not gaze at _him_. He had been fidgetting ever since he had layed down, and was trying to think of some suitable conversation to strike up with his crush. Try as he might, however, he could not think of a single thing to say that wouldn't make him sound stupid. so, he opted for the old standby, and pretended to go to sleep. Completely routine.

Just as Kurama had been starting to drift off, he heard a rustle as Hiei stood up from his window seat.

'Must be leaving now,' he thought, dejectedly. 'Just like always...'

Kurama became confused, however, as he heard Hiei's foot steps coming closer to his bed. Kurama opened one eye half way, and found himself starting up at the ceiling.

'Oh... I must've rolled around in my... "sleep"...' he thought sarcastically.

His thoughts were interuptted, and he quickly snapped his eye back shut as he heard Hiei pause right above him.

"Fox," Hiei breathed. "You're so pretty when you sleep. But, that's not really saying much; you're pretty all the time."

Kurama tried his best to keep his breathing slow and deep as he listened to Hiei's confessions.

"I only wish... that I could tell you that I feel this way about you... but, you'd never understand..."

Kurama was having a hard time keeping his emotions under check themore he listened to Hiei. Who would've thought that the young fire demon carried such deep emotions behind the thoughtless mask?

Suddenly, Kurama felt the air around him move, and popped back to his senses just in time to feel soft lips against his own, a rough, yet gentle hand carressing his cheek, which he unconciously leaned into. Hiei leaned back and wispered, "Good night, Love. I can only hold you in my dreams... Gomen."

Then, he turned on his heel, and was out the window without another word, not even a glance back.

Kurama sat bolt upright in his bed, staring at his now open window. Although it was winter, Kurama didn't seem to feel the torrent of cold air that swept onto him from outside and over his half covered body. He slowly brought a trembling hand to his lips.

"Hiei... likes me?" he whispered to the tree outside his window.

This was certainly _not_ routine.

-.-.-.-.-

Kurama had been unable to sleep for the rest of the night. He was still sitting in the same position on his bed when his alarm clock sounded the next morning. He was snapped out of his reverie by the annoying beeping of the aforementioned alarm, and he hit it a little more agressively than he meant, and knocked it on the floor. He stood up, and walked across his now frozen floor to shut the window that Hiei had left open last night. He stretched, and all of his joints cracked from almost a full night of not moving. He sighed.

'I wonder if Hiei meant what he said...' Kurama thought with a spark of hope.

He shut the window, dressed, and walked down the stairs. His mother was no where to be seen, presumably still upstairs, so he walked into the kitchen so he could begin making breakfast. There, he found a note stuck to the counter from Shiori.

_Shuichi:_

_I had to go into the office early today, and I will probably be staying late, as well. I left some money in the dish next to the sink, so you can buy whatever for lunch and dinner. Don't think that because it's the weekend, you can slack off in your studies and chores! I love you, dear, and I'll be home as soon as I can._

_Shiori_

"'Kaasan..." Kurama laughed as he read the note.

He walked over to the sink, reached into the dish, pulled out said money, then crumpled the note and threw it into the garbage. He then paced around the kitchen, making breakfast for himself, last night's incident completely swept from his mind.

-.-.-.-.-

Kurama walked through the door late that night. He had gone to see Yusuke and the gang, minus Hiei, and the gathering had sort of developed into a full fledged party.

Kurama made his way upstairs, and hiccupped as he entered his room, a slight blush on his face. (A/N: Guess what they served at the party, kiddies! That's right, alchohol! n.n)

He stumbled across the floor, and entered the bathroom, in hopes of taking a shower, or, at _least_ brushing his teeth, however, whenever he looked at the tiled floor, his head spun, and it hurt like the Dickens! So, instead, he stumbled back across his room, and was about to collapse on his bed and stay there for the rest of his life, when he noticed someone sitting on the aforementioned bed, watching him.

"H-hiei!" he managed to gasp. "What are you doing?"

"I should be the one asking that," Hiei said, matter-of-factly. "Why are _you_ drunk?" he asked as he got up and pushed Kurama onto the bed.

Suddenly, he realized, however, that Kurama wasn't the only one going down; Kurama had flung his arms around Hiei's neck at the last minute.

"K-kurama!" he spluttered, thankful that Kurama had been too drunk to turn on the lights, lest a brilliant blush be seen creeping up the hiyoukai's features. "What are you doing!"

"What does it look like?" Kurama asked in his drunken slur. "I'm going to kiss you."

Hiei's blush increased ten-fold at this, and he felt Kurama's hands slide from his neck, and move into his back. Kurama suddenly sat up, making Hiei plop down into his lap with a yelp, and he flung his arms around Kurama's neck. Startled, Hiei didn't realize what was happening until Kurama's soft lips were pressed against his own. Hiei stopped flailing, and unconsciously leaned into the kiss. Kurama smirked at this, and took this opportunity to make the kiss deeper. He slid his tonge sensually across Hiei's bottom lip, begging for entrance, and was delighted when Hiei complied.

Immediately, Hiei was met with a powerful taste of alchohol, with a sweet undertone, almost like an apple.

Kurama pulled Hiei's cloak off, and pushed him back onto the bed, never breaking the kiss. He began to pull Hiei's shirt out of his safely tucked pants, when he suddenly pushed Kurama of off him. Kurama's alchohol-numbed brain didn't register what had happened until he was already on the floor at Hiei's feet. Hiei looked guiltily down at the kitsune.

"Gomen," Hiei said as he quickly pulled his cloak back on. "I-I can't."

'Not when it's the alchohol making the moves. It will make him wind up doing something he'll regret,' he thought as he flitted out the window.

Kurama sat on the floor in numbed silence for a while, before he dazzedly got up and collapsed onto his bed, still fully clothed, and fell asleep.

-.-.-.-.-

"Argh..."

The sun was very bright that morning. The funny thing was, the shades were closed. Kurama put a hand on his head, trying to stop the vicious drumming in his brain, giving him the worst headache he ever remembered having.

"Did I... get drunk... last night?" he mumbled groggily.

He tried to remember the events of the previous night, but to no avail. He remember Yusuke calling him up that afternoon, and asking if he wanted to come hang out at Genkai's, and then, Kuwabara pulled some sake and beer out of no where, and... he remembered having a few drinks...

"Shit..." he moaned.

The fact that he couldn't remember a thing more than "having a few drinks", meant that he got smashed last night. Which, considering how much and often his Youko side drank, which gave him a unnaturally high tolerance, meant he had had one hell of a lot of booze.

"Well, no sense on brooding on what I could've done now," he said to himself, sullenly. "I suppose if it was something really serious, I'll here about it eventually..."

He got up to get himself a glass of water to help with the pounding in his cranium, when he realized he was still fully dressed.

"Jeez," he said. "I must've really been out of it. I don't even remember _coming home_, let alone going to bed..."

He stumbled into the bathroom, the prospect of a shower looking more appealing by the second. Before he managed to step into the tile box, he felt a sudden urge of sick wash over him. As quickly as he could, he turned around, and moved towards the toilet, just making it before yesterday's meals came up with an appealing colour of brownish/greenish/orangish.

"Well, that was pleasant," he mummered, after the wave of nausea had passed. "Remind me never to let Yusuke convince me that drinking with him is a _good_ thing..."

He got out his toothbrush, loaded it with as much toothpaste was would fit on the bristles without danger of falling off, and plunged it into his mouth, furiously stroking the brsh across his teeth and gums none-too-gently, trying to get the horrible taste of alchohol-induced vomit out of his mouth.

With that finally accomplished, after about ten minutes of hard brushing before Kurama actually felt clean enough, he undressed, and stepped into the warm shower, all of his troubles instantly flowing away with the warm water.

-.-.-.-.-

After Kurama was dressed, and feeling much better than he had earlier, he went about his normal routine:

1) Cook breakfast

2) Tidy up the house

3) Visit Yusuke and the gang - DO NOT DRINK!

4) Lunch

5) Study

6) Chores

7) Dinner

8) Read/Homework

9) Wait for Hiei/Bed

Kurama had had a continuous pounding in his poor head all day. When he finally got home, and was ready to start number seven on the list, he was just baout ready to call it a night right then. However, he knew that if he went to bed now, he wouldn't be able to see Hiei later, so, he went about his normal routine as if he _didn't_ have a hanger-over that was making his vision blurry.

When the time got to number nine on the list, Kurama was ecstatic.

'Finally, I can lay down...' Kurama thought happily as he pulled back the sheets of his bed. He was just about to sit on his fluffy mattress, when a familiar knocking came at the window. Kurama smiled, and turned in time to see Hiei slide the window open and hop through.

"Why, good evening, Hiei," Kurama said, fighting back the urge to yawn and look cheerful at the same time.

Hiei didn't say anything, merely stared at the fox, as if expecting him to say something more.

"Is something on your mind, Hiei?" Kurama asked worriedly. He would hate it if something had happened to his hiyoukai friend, and not be able to do anything to try and help.

After a few minutes, Hiei shook his head ever-so-slightly.

"Nothing is wrong, if that's what you mean, fox," he said, nonchalantly. "But, it would be hard for something _not_ to be on my mind, because there is never a time when a mind that is alive isn't thinking, subconsciously, or no."

Kurama smiled at his friend's comment.

"Of course..." Kurama muttered, turning away to stifle a yawn.

"You're tired, Kitsune," Hiei said. "Forget about me and go to sleep."

"Alright..." Kurama mumbled, walking back to his bed and sliding under the covers. "Good night, Hiei."

"Good night, fox," Hiei replied.

After a good ten minutes or so, Hiei heard Kurama's breathing even out, and he turned from his seat at the window to look at the fox.

"He obviously doesn't remember what he did when he was drunk... which is for the better... wouldn't want him remembering things he'll regret, now do we?"

Hiei returned his gaze out the window, and nodded off just as the sun peaked over the horizon.

-.-.-.-.-

_Narrator's POV_

The next morning... ah yes, nothing seemed particularly different about this day. As a matter of fact, it seemed just like an other day. However, it was also coincidentally a certain holiday that a certain hiyoukai and youko combo had forgotten about, and yet it was this holiday that marked something very special. This holiday marked something special for all lovers, not just the two fated to reveal their feelings on this one day. It is said that boyfriends will propose to their girlfriends on that day, and lovers and couples will go out and celebrate their love on this day. However, completely coincidence it was that these two lovers found out what they truely meant to eachother on that day. If you had told either of them that it would happen, they both would've scoffed, and told you that that was one of the most sappy things imaginable. Well, because it was, really.

-.-.-.-.-

The next morning, Kurama woke up before his alarm. He sighed, sat up, glanced around his room, and almost fell off his bed out of shock. There, on his window sill, was a silently napping fire demon. Kurama stood up, and tip-toed over to the han-koorime, and waved a hand in front of his face. Judging by the fact that Kurama still had both hands firmly attatched to his wrists, meant that Hiei was indeed, in the aforementioned state of sleep. How cute!

He very quietly and very slowly moved closer to the flying shadow, fully prepared to milk the situation for all it was worth. He kept moving closer and closer to the Jaganshi, until he was but a few centimeters away, and knelt down next to the sill so that his face would be equal to that of the other youkai's. He ever-so-slowly moved his head towards Hiei's, putting one arm around his shoulders, the other around his waist, no longer caring if he woke up. And he did. But, Kurama didn't care, true to his words, and just proceded in kissing the smaller youkai.

Kurama pulled back after a few seconds to see a _very_ astonished Hiei looking back at him.

"Kurama..." Hiei began, but the kitsune held a finger to the hiyoukai's lips.

"I know what you are going to say..." he said. "And I don't want to hear it. Please, just let this be."

"But, Kurama," Hiei said once the fox had taken his hand away from his mouth. "I was going to tell you that I loved you. If you tell me now that you didn't want to hear what I had to say, I know you'd be lying."

"Hiei..." Kurama breathed, tears forming in his eyes. "I never thought I'd hear that from you directly... I-I don't know what to say..."

"'I love you too', would be preferable, Fox," Hiei commented, smirking.

"Hai, Hiei," Kurama whispered, gathering the hiyoukai into a tight embrace. "I love you too."

"SHUICHI!" came a shout from downstairs. "I know you have the day off, but that doesn't mean you can stay in bed all day!"

Kurama fell over, and Hiei sighed.

"That woman really knows how to ruin the mood," he commented dryly.

"Oh, don't worry, Hiei," Kurama replied smoothly. "There will be other chances."

Kurama stood up to get dressed, and glanced at the calender as he was going by. He almost laughed out loud with the irony.

"Ne, Hiei," Kurama giggled. "You know what day it is?"

"No. Why?" Hiei asked, confused.

"It's Valentine's Day."

Indeed, Hiei couldn't help but chuckle a little to himself.** (1)**

**-Owari-**

-.-.-.-.-

**(1)**: I'm not really the type that believes that hiei is all that naive of the human world. I think that he would know what holidays were, and I know for a _fact_ that he knows how to read (proof in the episode where Yusuke gets kidnapped by Kaito and them, he reads the randsom note thingy all by himself! n.n;;). Anyways, yeah. I just wanted to throw that out there.

Hatoko: Sorry how it kinda got rushed their, at the end, but, I was already late with this, not to mention, I had decided to get it up before my next chapter... AND DO YOU REALIZE IT'S BEEN _MORE_ THAN A MONTH SINCE I LAST UPDATED? I'm shocked and ashamed at myself! I can get six chapters up in less then thirty days, yet I can't even write a single one-shot to be on a fashionably late level. URGH! I'm so mad at myself right now! When I realized it had been more than a month... I actually rolled over my own toe with my computer chair. It hurt. A whole lot. Still does, as a matter of fact. But, yeah... I have no excuse for taking so long, except that I am a horrible procrastinator. GOMEN NASAI, MINNA-SAN! (bows as low to the ground as humanly and animally possible)

Hatoko: Anyways... I would appreciate it greatly if you reviewed. You know what they say... "Reviews are an updates' best friend!" Or, I might've just made that up. You never know. But, as I think I might've mentioned before, I have the next real chappie all done, and that will have reviewer responses from chapter five and this in it, so... yeah. I guess that's it. Happy Belated Valentine's Day, and I deeply thank all of you who have spported me and reviewed so far! (bows)

-Hatoko-

P.S. I just thought I'd let you all know, that from know on, I will be deticating individual chapters to individual reviewers. Basically, starting with the ones who have reviewed from the prologue, and so on. Just in case anyone cares. Not that anyone will, but... yeah. I'll shut up now. n.n;;

P.P.S. This fic wasn't originally meant to be a Valentine's Day fic, when I originally thought of it, so, if it seems like the whole prospect of Valentine's Day was just kind... _thrown_ in there... is because it was. n.n;; Okies, now I'm really gone! Bee by! n.n


	8. Chapter Six: Wills and Ways

**Disclaimer**: Damn that electronic fortune teller! It got my hopes up for nothing!

Hatoko: Well, here it is. Chapter Six. Don't I feel accomplished.

Kurama: What's the matter, Hatoko-san?

Hatoko: ...

Kurama: (to Hiei) I've never seen her like this before. What do you suppose is up?

Hiei: Don't know, don't care.

Hatoko: YAY! Time for "Thank my wonderful reviewers"!

Kurama: That was sudden.

Hiei: And rather disjointed. Is it just me, or is she a little... spaced out today?

Kurama: Yes. Very. n.n;;

Hatoko: The following "thank you's" are from chapter five reviewers. n.n

**Lynn (Agent Dark Moose)**: Hehehe... yeah, something's coming up in the near future for them... Can't say what, but... (grin). Well, about Rui... it's for me to know, and you to find out! Hahahahaha! (evil smirk). Oh yes, it seems you got my meaning perfectly clearly. (grins evilly) I believe, that the long version, it is! YAY! I liked the new chapters of your story. You hafta update it again soon! (Pot calling the kettle black... n.n;;)

**Hiei's Gothic Angel**: Well, I promise one thing: if I _do_ wind up doing the long version (which seems like it has the popular vote), there will be indirect fluff, in which the two are thinking about eachother, however, if I do the short version, (which is now seeming unlikely), there would be _almost_ immediate fluff. But, since I appear to be doing the long version, then, that doesn't matter anyway. n.n;; Yay, cookies! n.n I am indeed happy to hear you love it so much! n.n

**Black-Fire-Ryu**: Hahaha... you _do_ have a point there, though... n.n;; I guess it _was_ kind of predictable. n.n;; Thankies for forgiving me! n.n (cough cough) You know I was just joking when I said that, right...? n.n;;

**Getocat**: Wow! I have another fan! I feel so loved! Thank you SOOOOO much, and you have no idea how happy it makes me to hear that you love my story so much you can't put it into words! n.n I would start doing cartwheels, but, unfortunately, I would probably break my back and wind up paralyzed from the neck down, and have to live in a wheel chair the rest of my life, and then I would never be able to update my story, and we wouldn't want that, now would we? n.n So, instead, I'll just go with the old standby of bowing, and thanking you profusely. (bows down to ground) ARIGATOU GOZAIMASHITA! n.n

**LoversPastForgotten**: You're welcome! Wow, I've never had someone thank me for updating before... Oo; I must say, this is a first. But, it is really _I_ who should be thanking _you_! Thank you for being one of my most faithful reviewers that has been encouraging me since the (almost... n.n;;) beginning! Arigatou! n.n

**LoversPastForgotten**: P.S. I like your new new story! n.n;; The AU one! It's really good! n.n

**DemonUntilDeath**: Why, I would be happy to! Thank you for reviewing! n.n I am happy that you loved it! n.n

**Ame-tennyo**: Hahahahaha! Thank you very much! I much like your works and writing style, so to hear you compliment my story makes me a very happy camper! Arigatou gozaimasu! n.n

**Rebekah**: Yup! She found out! n.n;; I'm still updating as fast as I can! n.n

**Imomen**: Well, I _would_ kill them off (actually, no, I probably wouldn't n.n;;), but, I already promised **LoversPastForgotten** that I would never kill anyone off in this fic, and I plan to stick by it! But, I _am_ sorry about the Inu-Yasha wall scroll. I would be pretty angry myself. n.n;; Well, if you noticed, I chose to end the prologue right there, and, for good reason. Yes, he was pretty mad about it... n.n;; Yay! Another vote for the long version! I guess I'll... try to make it as painful as possbile...? But, don't come crying to me when you burst into tears crying about how _mean_ I am to them. (Actually, I would probably burst into tears before then, because, we all know you're cold hearted... n.n;;). And, OF COURSE I WOULD NEVER, EVER, EVER, EVER CUT OFF ANY APPENDAGES OF THAT SORT! Just what do you take me for, anyways! ... On second thought, don't answer that... n.n;; Anyways, no, I did not make the "Aunt" up. Rui is indeed a real character, and, the reason I called her an aunt, is because she was Hina's (Hiei and Yukina's mother) best friend. She was also the one that threw Hiei off the Floating Island of Koorime. Yeah, well... that would be against Yukina's personality, in my opinion. XP Hahahaha! I'm glad you think it sounds yummy. I tried my best to make it sound appealing. n.n Anyways, thanks for reviewing! (Finally! X.x)

**Imomen**: P.S. Hahahaha! You're still grounded! XP

**YaoiYaoiYeah**: ARIGATOU GOZAIMASHITA! It makes me so happy to hear that you so appreciate my work! Thank you! Although, I can't really say I blame you... (cough cough) Sorry. That was my ego talking. n.n;; Anyways, thank you so much for the e-mail as well! It really made me happy! n.n

**Silvermane1**: Thank you! I try! n.n;; Thankies for reviewing!

.-.-.-.-

Hatoko: These "thank you's" are from the extra shot, "My First Valentine". n.n

.-.-.-.-

**Hiei's Gothic Angel**: Hahahaha! You get to go on the compy before school? Lucky! I can barely get up in time to make the bus, let alone go on the compy... Oo;; I'm glad you liked the extra shot so much! I was considering posting it seperately, but, then I decided... only the people who had the decency to read my story get to be thanked for it! (nods knowingly) Thank you so much! You have a talent yourself. I really like your stories. n.n Well, here it is! I hope that wasn't too long to wait... n.n;;

**Lynn (Agent Dark Moose)**: I'm really glad you liked it! Yeah, even _I_ thought Hiei was OOC at the end. n.n;; But, I figured that since Hiei had already admitted himself to Kurama, then he wouldn't be shy to talk like it was an everyday thing, you know? That was just my opinion, anyways... n.n;; Once again, I'm really glad you like it! Thank you so much! n.n

**Ame-tennyo**:Thank you! Hahahahaha! Well, here's said "new chapter"! I hope you "like" it! Hahahahahaha... oh, wow. My humor is so under appreciated... T-T (cough cough)

**LoversPastForgotten**: Yay! I updated! n.n I'm happy to hear that you loved it so much! n.n And yes... I've found that my abilities to be nicely descriptive usually only come out in the strangest places... Oo;; Oh, don't worry. no time has passed between now and the last real chapter. That whole extra shot was just a little story I dreamt up that as no influence what-so-ever on the plot of "TDTHF". So, don't worry about it. I'll get there eventually! n.n;;

**Rachael (Dragon Tamer103088)**: Hahahaha! I'm sorry! I usually just stop whenever there's an opening after what I think is a reasonable amount of story. It also depends on how long ago I updated, but... n.n;; Gomen ne! This chappie is about Kurama's group. I didn't count the last chapter as part of the actual story, so it's them we're following today. But, I do promise that, come next Hiei and Yukina chapter, I will try to make it longer than usual! I promise, I WILL TRY! T-T (crying for emphasis). Anyways, thank you so much for the review! n.n

**Black-Fire-Ryu**: Thank you! I'm glad you liked the "hurried cuteness" (because I agree, it was hurried... n.n;;). Ahaha... (scratches back of head nervously) Yeah... I'm really sorry that it took so long... I really am! Really truly! So, I promise that from now on, I will try to make reasonable postage dates for myself... Because, I agree. I took FAR too long with this update. Gomen! Thank you for reviewing!

**Imomen**: Yeah, well... just because we all know that _you_ would do Kurama if he was drunk, doesn't mean that _Hiei_ has no honour as well. Oh, yeah, because I'm sure that you've just taken advantage of drunk people all the time... knowing you, it's probably your hobby! XP Hahahahaha... You're still grounded... baka teme! XP I LAUGH AT YOUR PAIN! (cough cough) Anyways... maybe I'll write a White Day accompaniment to that story. That would be interesting, to say the least. n.n;; "N-e-ways"... I'm glad you at least thought it was cute, and weren't brooding about the fact that Hiei didn't take advantage of a drunk Kurama throughout the entire story. XP They got Valentine's Day off because I said they did, yaro! Now stop complaining. Umm... sometimes, you disturb me greatly... Oo;; (although, I will agree that fluff makes the world go 'round. n.n). Whelpers, thankies for the review! Oh, and, if you read this anytime soon, you're going to have to give me the details about this Tuesday, because, right now, I'm so confused... Xx;;

Hatoko: YAY REVIEWERS! I LOVE YOU ALL! n.n

Hatoko: Anyways, here we go!

**The Day the Hiroseki Fell**

_"Right here," he said._

_"Huh?" Yusuke and Kuwabara chorused._

_"We start right here," he repeated._

_"Why there?" Yusuke asked, walking over to him._

_"Because of this," he said simply, holding out his right hand for Yusuke and Kuwabara to see._

_"But that is..." Yusuke began._

_"A piece of Yukina-chan's kimono..."_

**Chapter Six:** **Wills and Ways**

Kuwabara went pale. Suddenly, he had the undeniable urge the exponge again, and, as much as he tried to resist it, felt bile once again start rising in his throat. Yusuke, on the other hand, got angry.

"What did they _do_ to them!" he shouted to no one in particular. "It seems like they were dragged through the Makai as if they were sacks of potatoes!"

Kurama was once again looking in the bushes were he had found the piece of cloth, ignoring the completely different reactions both of his party members had to his find. He reached down to the branch where the kimono piece had been hanging, and began whispering to it quietly. Although Kuwabara and Yusuke were off in their own little worlds, they had noticed their friend's sudden furtive speaking, seemingly to no one.

"Uhh, Kurama?" Yusuke began uncertainly. "What are you do-"

But Kurama cut him off.

"Please, Yusuke," he said sternly. "I need quiet for this."

"But, what's "this"?" Yusuke mumbled to Kuwabara, who still looked like he was about to lose his lunch... again.

After about ten minutes of being quiet, per Kurama's "request", Yusuke and Kuwabara watched as Kurama straightened up from the bush he had been leaning over, and brushed himself off.

"So?" Yusuke asked expectantly. "Why were you whispering sweet nothings**(1)** to a plant?"

Kuwabara, who still didn't trust himself to open his mouth, for fear that something other than his vioce would come out of it, nodded vigorously at Yusuke's words.

Kurama glared at Yusuke, and continued to brush himself off in silence. Only when he finished the motion did he answer Yusuke's question.

"I was asking the plants around where we found the cloth, if they had seen which way the owner of it had gone."

"Uhh..." Yusuke began.

"Yes, I know plants don't have mouths to speak, let alone eyes to see, Yusuke," Kurama answered before Yusuke had time to formulate his question. "in the eyes of normal people. As for myself, I have lived with plants all my life, youkai _and_ ningen, and know their secret. I can hear them as clearly as I can hear you or Kuwabara. And, just because something has no eyes, Yusuke, doesn't mean it cannot see." he finished coolly.

"Riiiiiight..." Yusuke replied slowly, not comprehending.

Kurama sighed, and continued.

"The plants told me that the perpatrators headed north," he said, pointing in a seemingly random direction. "And that both Hiei and Yukina were being carried by two large demons, flanking one small female."

"Female?" Kuwabara inquired, finally able to open his mouth with only a slight fear.

"Hai," Kurama confirmed. "She apparently looked something like Yukina, and was dressed similarly as well."

"Hmmm..." Yusuke hummed, rather loudly and conspicuously, putting his left hand on his chin, his right supporting it at the elbow in mock of a stereotypical thinking pose. "So, why did the woman look like Yukina?" he asked, turning towards Kurama. Kuwabara and the aformentioned redhead sweatdropped.

"That's what we're trying to figure out now, Yusuke," he said exasperatedly.

"Oh, okay," Yusuke said simply, making the other two sweatdrop yet again.

"Jeez, Urameshi, could you be _any_ more oblivious?" Kuwabara yelled.

"You mean to tell me that _you_ knew what he was talking about!" Yusuke shouted back.

"Of course I did!" Kuwabara scoffed loudly. "I'm not like _you_."

"Oh, yeah, baka?" Yusuke asked, vehemently. "Then who was it that took Hiei and Yukina!"

"Uhh..." Kuwabara faultered.

Yusuke grinned triumphantly, and gave Kuwabara a lovely view of his middle finger, which served it purpose exquisitely: pissing Kuwabara off even further.

"Why you-" he began, stumbling for the proper insult. "TEME!" he finally shouted, pouncing on Yusuke.

Kurama, in the meantime, had been trying to figure out the clues the plants had left them with.

_'Okay,'_ he thought. _'First, lay out the facts we know. In theory, the perps would have something against both Hiei and Yukina to want to get rid of both of them. Pretty simple. So, what, other than their being related, do they have in common?'_

Kurama stood there, pondering this, with the sounds of Yusuke and Kuwabara's skirmish settling in as little more than backround noise, for about fifteen minutes before he could take it no longer.

_'That's it!'_ he mentally yelled, exasperated. _'I can't think of a single thing that the two of them have in common besides the blood they share! ...Wait a minute. Prehaps I'm over analyzing this. Maybe it's _because_ they share blood... but, who would kidnap them because of their blood? Not too many people know about Hiei and Yukina's relations. Not even all of the Tantei know... So, we can assume that it is someone whom they both met in the past, and who could see them for who they were... or,'_ Kurama thought slyly. _'Or, the aformentioned lady that looked oh, so much like our sweet Yukina, was the one who split them up in the first place!'_

Kurama turned smiling to face both of his comrads, and fell over when he saw Yusuke _still_ holding Kuwabara in a head lock.

"Yusuke...?" he asked uncertainly. "I think you should let Kuwabara go now..."

"Huh?" Yusuke answered intelligently. "Oh, right."

Yusuke slipped his arms from around Kuwabara's neck, and siddeled over to where Kurama was watching them. Said carrot top was crouching on the ground, clutching his neck, and breathing like there was no tomorrow.

"So? What's up?" Yusuke asked as he took his place standing next to Kurama.

Kurama's smirk was immediately back in place.

"I know who kidnapped Yukina and Hiei," he said after a moments' dramatic pause.

Kuwabara and Yusuke were dumbstruck. They both just stared at the fox for at least ten minutes. Then, Yusuke exploded.

"SO, ARE YOU GOING TO TELL US, OR ARE WE GOING TO SIT HERE UNTIL WE'RE OLD MEN?"

"Now, now!" Kurama said, sheepishly. "You didn't say anything, so neither did I..."

"What did you think we were doing? We were waiting for you to speak up!"

"Gomen ne, Yusuke."

"Yeah, yeah," Yusuke said, exasperatedly. "Just get to the point."

"Right..." Kurama said. "It was the Koorime."

"Huh?" Yusuke and Kuwabara exclaimed together.

"The Koorime," repeated Kurama. "You remember. Hiei and Yukina are both half Koorime. While Yukina's Koorime genes where dominant, Hiei's where recessive. A male fire demon born to a tribe of ice maidens? It wouldn't be heard of. So, they threw Hiei off of their Isle in hopes of killing him."

"Oh, yeah," Yusuke said, scratching the back of his head. "I guess I forgot about Hiei's sob-story past."

"Wait a-minute..." Kuwabara said slowly. "Yukina's only half Koorime? And, how could _Hiei_ be a Koorime?"

"Well," Kurama started. "Yukina's mother, I believe her name was Hina, laid with a hiyoukai, and gave birth to two children. Twins, no less. One was a girl, who was completely normal in the eyes of the Koorime tribe. The other, was a male demon who inherited his father's youki, fire. Thus, the Koorime, fearing both males and fire, threw the aformentioned male twin off of the Isle of Koorime in hopes of killing him. The attempts failed, and said brother lived."

"Well, yeah, I heard that much from Yukina-chan..." Kuwabara said slowly. "So, what's that got to do with the Shrimp?"

"Jeez!" Yusuke shouted, throwing his hands up in the air. "Are you really that dense that you need it spelled out for you! _Hiei_ is Yukina's _brother_!"

Kuwabara went silent for a few moments, then screamed.

"You mean, Hiei is the long-lost brother Yukina's been searching for all her life! If that's true, why didn't Hiei just tell her in the first place, instead of leading her on all the time when she was searching!"

"I believe that it is because Hiei is ashamed of all the stuff he did in the past," Kurama answered sadly. "He believes that Yukina won't except him because she has an innocent soul, and he has had to kill since he was very young to survive. He feels he'll taint her purity."

Kuwabara looked stricken.

"You mean, Shorty actually said all that?" he asked in disbelief.

"Well, not in so many words," Kurama said hurriedly, scratching the back of his head.

"You know, one of these days, I would really like to hear what the two of you talk about," Yusuke said suspiciously. "I mean, Hiei talks to you about everything and anything. Kinda makes me jealous..." he added in an undertone.

Kurama, with his foxy hearing, did not miss this last comment, and looked at Yusuke as though he were willing to fight him for something. Kuwabra looked between the two, utterly confused.

"Anyway," Kurama continued, disregarding the comment... for now. "I believe that it was the Koorime. I mean, who else would want _both_ of them? The only thing they have in common is their Koorime blood. Motive, however, is still unkown."

"Well," Yusuke said. "Then, it makes sense as to why they were headed north."

"Why?" Kuwabara asked stupidly.

"Moron!" Yusuke exclaimed. "Koorime are _Ice_ Maidens."

"Yeah...?" Kuwabara said, waving a hand for him to elaborate.

"Baka! Ice demons like the cold, and the further north you go, the colder it gets!" Yusuke yelled, leaning into Kuwabara's ear.

"Right..." Kuwabara mumbled, sticking a finger in his ear, as if to stop the ringing he was currently hearing. "I knew that..."

Yusuke shook his head as he walked away.

"So, fox-boy," he added, addressing Kurama. "We ready to head north?"

"Won't it be hard?" Kuwabara interrupted. "Like, to get there?"

"No worries, Kuwabara-kun!" Kurama said cheerily. "Where there's a will, there's a way!" **(2)**

**-Owari-**

**(1)**: Yusuke asks Kurama why he was whispering "sweet nothings" to a plant. Basically, "sweet nothings" are the type of things that lovers would say to eachother after an initmate moment. It was a joke between me and a few of my friends (before I moved), and whenever someone would whisper something to someone else, you would accuse them of whispering sweet nothings in eachothers' ears, thus, not encouraging secrets. It was just one of those silly little childhood things that I though would be best to explain to you guys. n.n;;

**(2)**: "Where there's a will, there's a way." An old saying that basically means, "If you try your best, nothing is impossible.", and Kurama was using it there to try to motivate and encourage the other two party members on what was sure to be a perilous and uncomfortable journey. Also, it refers to the name of the chapter, "Wills and Ways". n.n And, it's one of my favourite sayings. n.n;;

Hatoko: Ta-daa! And, that was chappie six! Everyone enjoy? Good!

Kurama: She didn't even give them time to answer...

Hiei: That's because she's too afraid of what they're going to say.

Kurama: (sigh)

Hatoko: Ooh! I just got a new compy! Whoot! I'm using it right now to edit my story as I type! It's really cool, but, now I don't have any of my old downloads, like none of the old MP3s I had saved to my old compy. Oh well. At least I managed to salvage my stories! n.n Well, I'll be on my way now. Please review! n.n

_Hatoko_

P.S. I'm sorry to anyone who was disappointed with Yukina's reaction to Hiei's being her brother in the last chapter. However, I feel that Yukina would never ever reject her brother just because he didn't tell her the truth sooner. I feel that she would except him no matter what, so... that's how I did it. Even if it is a little generic. n.n;;


	9. Chapter Seven: Truth and Despair

**Disclaimer**: Yu Yu Hakusho and its characters are property of Yoshihiro Togashi, Fuji TV, Shueisha, Jump Comics, and Studio Pierrot. (Hatoko: Woah! I actually did a standard disclaimer for once! Oo;;)

Hatoko: Well, minna-san, I'm back again with another chapter, much to your chagrins, I'm sure. Anyways, straight down to business. I've been contemplating taking out the whole "Hiei and Kurama interact with the author" thing, and I've decided that this is going to be the first day I do it. Unless, of course, I get thousands upon _thousands_ of near unreadable flames telling me to put them back in. However, I doubt that'll be likely. As a matter of fact, I doubt any of you will notice... (cough cough). Anyways, time for the "Reviewer's Corner"! (waits for applause) ... (doesn't get any, and sighs, walking off stage yes, STAGE!).

**LoversPastForgotten**: I did update! n.n Yay, I'm loved! n.n ...Actually, I didn't really like that chapter, much... but, who am I to complain? You're not that only one who seemed to enjoy it... n.n;; Yeah... I thought I'd throw in a little "trouble in paradise"... Kekeke... That's another one of my favourite sayings. n.n Anyways, thankies for reviewing!

**Romantic Devil**: Hahahaha... You know, I can honestly say that this is the first complaint I've ever gotten about my story chapters being too short. (Except that one-shot I wrote... Uhg... Everyone who reviewed told me I should've made it longer... I shudder at the memory... Shudder) But, if you're in need of some good Hiei/Kurama-ness, let me just point you in the direction of my "Favourite Stories" list. I'm am slightly embarrassed, and disturbed on the behalf of everyone reading this that every single one of the fanfictions on my list, yes, all 97 of them, are Yuyu Hakusho ones, and are guaranteed that over 90 of them are Hiei/Kurama fics. Yes, I have no life, and yes, I already know. n.n;; But, anyways, I will try to fulfill your request, and make longer chapters! (I've been trying to find the proper motivation for myself in ages... n.n;;)

**Ame-tennyo**: Hehehe... yeah, Kuwabara is _very_ dense, if you ask me. As you could probably tell, he's not one of my favourite characters. n.n;; But, I really have nothing against him. Nothing personal, at any rate... n.n;; Thank you! Umm... Yoshi? (confusion! Oo;; Oh, don't worry. it's not that hard to make me cofused... n.n;;). Thankies for reviewing! n.n

**Black-Fire-Ryu**: Okies! Better to know after the fact, than not at all, right? n.n;; Thankies for the review! n.n

**Lynn (Agent Dark Moose)**: Hmm... you really think so? As I said before... I didn't really like that chapter much... n.n;; Maybe it is just me, after all... n.n;; However, I do thank you deeply! Arigatou! n.n Hahaha... well, I guess that's a good thing for me, then, because I was trying to make Kurama seem smart... but, it is kinda hard when you're not very smart yourself, so... n.n;; It seems that all of my efforts weren't in vain! n.n;; Thankies for the review!

**Emory The Plutonian**: Why, thank you very much! I'm happy to hear that you think so highly of my story! n.n Arigatou gozaimasu, for the review! n.n

**DemonUntilDeath**: Thank you! Oh, dear... perhaps my efforts were in vain after all... n.n;; Well, let me put it this way, if it makes it seem any better: at least I didn't have Yusuke or Kuwabara solve it! And, I thought that if I made him know the answer right off the bat, than if wouldn't be as fun, and it would make him seem less human than he seems to be. Like, it would just be like, "Well, jeez, sounds like he knew all along!". You know? I was just trying to add to the drama, and make him seem like he actually has to think about some things before he actually gets them. Yeah. So... yeah. Thanks for the review! n.n;;

**Imomen**: Hey, just because I prefer Yusuke with his suggested mate, and NOT interfering with our favourite youkai couple, doesn't mean that I can't throw a little trouble into paradise (the same thing I said to LoversPastForgotten... n.n;;). And besides, he could mean it from a strictly platonic point of view. I haven't decided yet. And, it's not like he knows that Hiei and Kurama are in love (yet), so he doesn't think anything is coming from all the time that the two spend together. He's probably just jealous that Kurama is better friends with him than the rest of the Tantei are. But... I haven't decided yet. Kekeke! XP Oh, and about the whole, Kurama whispering sweet nothings to plants... I have no idea. n.n;; To me, it just seems like he should be able to, don'tcha think? And, yes. Yusuke did flip Kuwabara off. n.n;; Ah, yes... we all know about that little world of yours... Oo;; Unfortunately... And, hey! Just because I'm a lazy-ass procrastinator, doesn't mean you can call me a slow-poke, baka teme! XP

**Hiei's Gothic Angel**: Arigatou gozaimashita! You've made my day! n.n When I got this, it was the last day of my February vacation, so... it lifted my spirits a great deal! n.n ARIGATOU! I don't think you're a weirdo! If you are, then I must be a weirdo too, and, we all know that _that's_ impossible... (Oo;;). Thankies! It makes me very happy to hear that you think I'm very talented! n.n Even if I have trouble meeting my deadlines... n.n;; Hehehe... I tend to repeat myself repeatedly a lot. n.n;; Hee hee! I'm glad that my update made your day! Just know that your review made my day! n.n Thank you, again! n.n

**Silvermane1**: Arigatou, and thankies for the review! n.n

Hatoko: Arigatou gazaimashita, minna-san! I LOVE YOU ALL! n.n Anyways, here we go!

_Detication_:

_This chapter of "The Day the Hiroseki Fell", by Hatoko (YokoYoukai), Is hearby deticated to, **Hiei's Gothic Angel**, who has been_

_Hatoko's longest reviewer, meaning, she has been reviewing Hatoko's story since it was first published_

_in December, and has reviewed every chapter since._

_Arigatou, Janessa-sama! Hatoko sincerely hopes you enjoy this chapter!_

**The Day the Hiroseki Fell**

_"Well, now that you know that, I'm sure that the both of you are quite hungry. Please feel free to dig in!" she said, gestering to the food piled on every square inch of the small table. _

_Yukina happily complied, but Hiei turned to Rui and said "So that's why you took both me and Yukina. So you could preform the power transfusion."_

_Rui didn't answer, but smiled, and started helping herself to the food Yukina was already merrily helping herself to._

_'Then why...' Hiei thought sullenly as he, too, started serving himself from the heaping piles of Koorime cuisine. 'Why does something feel so... wrong about all this...?'_

**Chapter Seven: Truth and Despair**

Hiei once again awoke in an unfamiliar place. As there were no windows, he couldn't tell whether it was day or night, but he had a sneaking suspicion that he hadn't fallen asleep naturally. He sniffed the air, which confirmed his suspicions about not being in the same place. Not only that, but... he sniffed again. He couldn't smell Yukina either. That wasn't good. If something happened to her, he would never forgive himself.

Not sensing anyone in the immediate vacinity, Hiei decided that it was time to investigate his new surroundings. He stood up, and wobbled slightly.

_'Dammit!'_ he thought angrily. _'How long was I out, anyway?'_

Finally gaining his balance, he walked about the room he was currently occupying, surveying his new accomodations. This didn't take more than a few seconds, however, as the only things in the room were the pallet he had been sleeping on, and chains of various shapes and sizes. Now that his eyes had adjusted to the surrounding darkness (he tried to use his youki, only to find that he didn't have the energy to conjure up any flames), he knew that he was in a dungeon/torture room, complete with blood stained floors and bars all around, acting as walls. And wards. There were lots of wards.

_'Well.'_ he thought, annoyed. _'Doesn't look like I'm going to be leaving this god-forsaken place any time soon...'_

He sat back down on the pallet, and once again attempting to call upon his flames. Nothing. There wasn't a ward on his body (he knew; he checked), and he still couldn't summon his flames! Okay, he was now righteously pissed off.

_'All this was because of that damn, friggin', wench, Rui! I knew something was up... I just didn't want to believe... that, after supposedly experiencing so much guilt after throwing me off the Isle... that she wouldn't have done anything more to fuck up my life... Kurama... I wonder if you're looking for me... Do you even care that I'm gone? What am I saying? Of course the kitsune cares! He cares about everyone...'_

Hiei sat up abruptly when he heard a door open at the end of the hall that the 'room' he was in came off of. The steps continued in his direction, and he sat with baited breath, listening to the person leisurely make their way towards him.

"So, you're finally awake," a male voice said, as the foot steps stopped in front of the door.

The owner of the voice was tall, at least six feet. He had long silver hair that he wore loosely about his shoulders, and trailed down his back. He was wearing a light coloured Chinese tunic with baggy white pants and black shoes. His skin was also light, but his eyes were a complete contradiction to the rest of him: his eyes were such a deep green that they almost looked black.

"Who are you?" Hiei snarled.

"Hehehe..." the demon laughed.

Hiei narrowed his eyes, and glared harder at the demon.

"Don't worry," the demon reassured. "I'm not going to say anything creepy, like 'I am your father', or something like that."

"Then just spit it out," Hiei growled.

"Very well," he continued. "My name is Inazuma. A pleasure to make your aquaintance, Jaganshi Hiei."

"And, how do you know my name?" Hiei asked quietly.

"Oh, come now," The older demon reasoned. "Who _doesn't_ know who you are? You're the infamous hiyoukai imiko of the Koorime. The one that they threw out and supposedly got rid of at birth. _Everybody_ knows about you. As a matter of fact, I might even go so far as to say, your legends are as well known as the mythical thief, Youko Kurama."

"Don't you ever..." Hiei began, trembling. "Don't you ever... lump me in with him! He is twelve times an all-around better person than I could ever hope to be!"

"Oh?" Inazuma questioned, on an uprising note. "Seems like somebody has a little thing called 'adoration' for our silver tailed friend."

"Stop talking about him. Now," Hiei spat, glaring as intensely as he could into the murky green depths of his newfound captor.

"Hmm," Inazuma hummed thoughtfully. "Seems like something more than adoration. One might say that you were even... _in love_ with the fox," he smirked.

Hiei growled in place of answering, but on the inside, he was shocked with what Inazuma had just said. He _had_ been thinking about the fox more and more often, but he hadn't thought that it meant anything. It was just then that he felt a twinge in his heart. He missed the fox terribly, and wished him by his side through this whole ordeal. Could this be love...?

Inazuma laughed loudly.

"Well, I take that from your lack of answer, I was right on the money!" he exclaimed, laughing.

Hiei growled louder.

"If you do _anything_ to him..." he warned.

"Ooh, I don't think you're in any place to be threatening me, Jaganshi," Inazuma smirked. "Besides, _he_'s not the one I'm... _interested_... in. Although, it might be kind of rewarding to see what you would do if I captured him..."

"Don't you dare..." the hiyoukai rumbled.

"Very well," Inazuma acquiesced. "But that just means I get to play with you all the more."

Hiei snarled, but bowed his head in defeat. Inazuma smirked, and grabbed Hiei by the chin, forcing him to look into his eyes.

"I knew you'd see it my way..." he grinned, and pulled Hiei's face up closer to his own, and placed a bruising kiss on Hiei's lips.

Hiei kicked the taller demon in the stomache, and pulled away, vigorously rubbing his lips on his sleeve.

"Heh..." Inazuma chuckled, as he wiped blood from the corner of his mouth. "Don't worry, imiko," he soothed. "It'll get more tolerable in time, I'm sure..."

And with that, he left Hiei alone in the dungeon.

Hiei flopped back against the pallet, and sighed, willing his mind to stop churning, and his stomache to stop reeling. His mind was digesting this piece of information that he had just learned about himself: he was in love with the fox? It just seemed too much like a dream to him. But... there was no point in running from what he knew to be the truth. He just had to accept it. His stomache was reeling because, well... wouldn't yours be if some guy who seemed to have the hots for you stole the kiss from your lips that you had been saving for a certain youko since you had first met the fox? Well, that's why Hiei's was. And he didn't like it.

"Shimata..." he swore, trying once again, and failing, to clear his head. How was he supposed to concentrate with all those vicious thoughts running through his head? The three first ones were: _'You've cheated on your fox! How could you?'_, being the first, '_Eww... his lips were cold and clamy...'_, the second at hand, and, _'How the hell are you planning on getting out of here?'_, the third. In order of importance, of course.

After the first two thoughts had flown around in his head for a while, he concentrated on the last: How the hell _was_ he going to get out of there?

It was just then that a thought struck him in the back of the head. Inazuma never closed the door on his way out! (Hatoko: Gomen ne... I couldn't think of anything else, and it was only now that I realized that I could use my vagueness of words to my favour... n.n;;)

Hiei raced towards the door, and peered out into the hallway. The coast was clear. Taking this as his chance, he quickly and quietly snuck towards the opposite end of the hall.

The door was slightly ajar there, too. The jackass must've really been in a mood... Hiei stopped right beyond the crack of light drowning out a little of the darkness in the hall. Beyond the door was a large staircase that, from Hiei's point of view, at the very bottom, seemed to go on forever. He took a deep breath, pulled the door opened, and flitted off up the stairs.

He reached the top in about five seconds flat, and pushed open the door at the top only a crack, and peaked through. The coast was clear. He slipped through the doors, letting his childhood with the bandits remind him of the skills of a thief he had aquired from them. Moving like his name sake **(1)**, he followed the smell of the light demon all the way to the very top floor.

The number of guards increased rapidly the higher up he went, and the fortress he was now being held in seemed to go on forever. Finally, however, when he reached the top, where the scent was strongest, there were absolutely no guards what-so-ever. The intrigued Hiei a bit. Was the demon really powerful enough to not need guards on the very floor he seemed to reside to protect him? Perhaps he was just cocky. Or, maybe it was a trap? As all these thoughts made their way through Hiei's brain, his feet, which seemed to be on autopilot, were directing him down a large hallway, in both length and width. As he cleared his head, his feet were still moving him forward cautiously, still sticking to the shadows, although all the danger seemed to have left them on the floor below.

Hiei made it down the hall, and to a set of polished oak double doors that rose all the way from the floor to the ceiling of the hall, and were easily over 15 feet high, with intricate designs and swirls covering every square inch of the expensive material. He marveled for a moment with an unreadable expression on his face, and pushed the door open.

Just as Hiei expected, on the other side of the door was none other than Inazuma. He was sitting in a high leather-padded chair behind a large desk covered with maps and the like, facing Hiei. Inazuma smirked as Hiei stepped into the room, and the doors shut with an echoing clang.

"Well, well," Inazume said, amusment evident in his voice. "I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon."

"Expect the unexpected," Hiei retorted, glowering.

Inazuma's smirk broadened, as he stood up and stepped out from around his desk. In nothing but a blur (which Hiei was proud to say he could follow), Inazuma was behind Hiei.

"So, little Jaganshi," he sneered. "Did you want something?"

Hiei, who hadn't turned the whole time, smirked.

"Actually, yes."

"And, what would that be?" Inazuma asked pleasantly.

"For you to die in the most painful and horrifying ways known to men, demons, and gods put together," Hiei replied smoothly, finally turning around, only to find Inazuma not there.

"I'm afraid I can't grant that request, hiyoukai," a voice in Hiei's ear remarked casually.

Hiei shuddered at such close contact, and suddenly let out a slight yelp of pain when Inazuma pulled one of his arms behind his back and twisted it.

"However," he continued. "I _can_ tell you who gave you to me, because I know you've been wondering about it."

"That too," Hiei managed, grimacing as Inazuma slowly pulled is arm higher and higher out of its natural position.

"The one who brought you here, to me," he started, leaning down so that his breath tickled Hiei's ear in the most unnatural of unnatural ways. "Was none other than the one _claiming_ to help you."

Hiei's eyes widened in disbelief. "You mean..." he gasped. Inazuma's torture on his arm was really getting to him. "That it was... R-Ru-"

"That's right," Inazuma whispered, licking Hiei's ear inbetween breaths. "It was Rui."

.-.-.-.

When Yukina awoke, she was in the same room she had awoken in before, only this time, she was not frightened when she opened her eyes. She sat up groggily, stretched, and almost died of shock when she noticed the other occupant of her room. It was Rui.

"Rui-san," Yukina said, gentley. "What are you doing here?"

Yukina was shocked when Rui looked up at her with tear-filled eyes.

"I have done a horrible thing..." she chokingly admitted before tears started rolling off her face and and crystalizing before their very eyes. Neither of them paid any attention, though, having seen far too many in their lifetimes'.

Yukina was immediately by her side.

"What happened, Rui-san?" she asked, deeply concerned. "You can tell me."

"That's just the thing," Rui sobbed. "I don't think I _can_ tell you. You see, it has to do with... with your brother."

"With my brother?" Yukina asked, beginning to worry. "What happened to Hiei-oniisan, Rui-san?"

Rui's sobs doubled, and the sound of dropping hiroseki filled the room. Yukina patted Rui's back in a soothing motion, attempting to calm her down.

"I took him..." Rui managed, swallowing hard before continuing. "I took him to someone... who wants him dead."

Yukina's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. She managed a weak smile, and choked, "You're joking, right Rui-san? You don't really mean that, do you?"

Rui was now doubled over with tears.

"I-I really... really did," she gasped. "I... was in over my head... I-I... I loved him... The man... I gave H-Hiei to..." she elaborated. "He-he told me, that... that if I helped him... he would take me as his mate... and, since K-Koorime mate for life... if they ever d-do get to find one... I was overjoyed... but... I'm just repeating Hina's m-mistake... But, it's t-true... what she told me... that falling in love... is the m-most wonderful f-feeling... in the world..."

Yukina was on the verge of tears herself now. Apparently, Rui was expecting her to get angry, perhaps even attack her but, Yukina didn't even think the word "attack" was part of her vocabulary. Instead, she hugged Rui as tight as she possibly could.

Rui's tears stopped long enough for her to ask, "I thought you wold be mad. I thought you would try to kill me. Why aren't you?"

"I am mad," Yukina replied, still hugging Rui. "Livid, even. But, violence won't solve anything. And, if you really feel that badly about it, you can help me get him back, right?"

Rui smiled through her tears. "Yes! But..." she trailed off, looking uncertain.

"What it is?" Yukina inquired.

"Well..." Rui began. "Tomorrow is your three hundredth birthday... and, Hiei will need the tranfusion before midnight tomorrow night, or... or he might not make it."

Yukina gasped.

"I had forgotten all about that!" she said, frantically. "So, you're sure that that's what will happen?"

"Yes, very," Rui confirmed. "I hadn't been lying about that..."

"Which means," Yukina gasped. "We don't have much time!"

Rui nodded. "We must start planning immediately if we are to get Hiei out of Inazuma's keep in time."

"Inazuma?" Yukina questioned.

"That's the demon's name," Rui explained. "The one whom I thought I loved, and the one to whom I brought Hiei."

Yukina nodded her understanding. Suddenly, she stood.

"Yukina-chan?" Rui questioned.

"Well," Yukina said, turning towards Rui with a determined smile. "Let's get to work, shall we?"

**-Owari-**

**(1)**: Hiei was moving like his name sake. It means that, he was moving quickly, like a shadow. For those of you that don't know, Hiei's name means "Flying Shadow", thus, "moving like his name sake". I thought it was clever, at any rate. n.n;;

Hatoko: So! What'dya think? Good? Bad? Too short? Too long? I tried my very hardest to make it as long as I could, and I succeeded in making it longer than any other chapter to this date (except the Extra Shot), so... hopefully, that'll be satisfactory for now. Well, I hope you all enjoyed this chappie! n.n Please, find it in your heart to review! (puppy dog eyes) Arigatou!

Hatoko-

P.S. "Inazuma", means "lightning" in Japanese. Just thought you all might like to know that. n.n


	10. Chapter Eight: Complaints and Confession...

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Yuyu Hakusho. I own the story plot and Inazuma, but little else.

Hatoko: Well, here we are, with chapter eight, and I'm amazed that you guys haven't gotten sick of me yet. n.n;; Well, a toast to all my reviewers! n.n

**Fire-Crow**: Sorry! I didn't know! Oo;; Thankies for the review, and, I like your new username! n.n

**Hiei's Gothic Angel**: You're welcome! Thank _you_ so much for reviewing since the beginning, and for the e-mails! n.n Hahaha... yeah... Don't worry, he'll get his, in the end... (I think... Oo;;). Probably by a homicidal kitsune... n.n;; Hahaha! That's just how I think Yukina would act. I think she would be very sweet and very forgiving. n.n And, I was very happy when you brought her back. n.n Hahaha... yeah... about the door... I just needed a way for him to get out somehow, and I realized that before, I had never mentioned Inazuma shutting the door, so... yeah... It was basically just a cop out from any _real_ thinking that I might've had to do... n.n;; And, don't worry about making your reviews too long! I really enjoy them! n.n Thank you for reviewing!

**LoversPastForgotten**: Oops... I never meant to make anyone hate Rui... n.n;; She is trying to get him back, though! she really is! And, we all know that Inazuma is just there to piss people off, so... n.n;; Oh, don't worry. They'll save him soon enough. (Hopefully... Oo;;) Thank you for the review, and I'll try to update sooner!

**Tbiris**: Umm... thanks, I think...? Oo;; Thankies for reviewing! n.n

**Lynn (Agent Dark Moose)**: Thankies very much! I'm glad you enjoyed it so much! n.n OO;; Wow... I'm impressed... You're the only one who got that! Just don't tell anyone okies? It's supposed to be a secret... n.n;; I'd say that it made you extremely smart... n.n;; Yay! I'm proud! Good deduction! n.n Thankies for the review!

**Midnight-Sunset**: Hahaha! Kurama's tryin', he's tryin'! I think hanging around with Yusuke and Kuwabara is starting to get to him... n.n;; Yukina's trying her hardest! Also, she had Rui, which means insider info, which means she'll hopefully get there soon! Thankies! Noooooo! Come back, Hi-chan! (Starts typing at incredibly fast speeds) I'll get you back yet! Thanks for the review! n.n

**Ame-tennyo AKA Hyena Frog**: I hate it when that happens... Anyways, thankies for taking the time to come back and review! n.n

**Silvermane1**: Thankies for the review! n.n

**GoePan**: Thank you very much! I'm glad you like it! n.n You're right though... The extra shot _was_ kinda weird... Even _I_ thought so, and I wrote it... n.n;; Thankies for the review! n.n

**Dragon Tamer103088**: Thank you! I'm glad you think so! Thanks for reviewing! n.n

**MasterFranny**: Thank you very much! I will try to update as soon as I can! n.n

**Imomen**: Hahahaha! But, you just _had_ to throw it at me and break it, didn't you? n.n Yeah, Inazuma is... well, I won't say "dumb", but... n.n;; You know what I mean... I'm not about to insult my own character. n.n;; And, he probably won't necessarily _rape_ Hiei... Probably... n.n;; Hahaha! Kurama _is_ the only allowed that privelege! n.n But, I ain't makin' no promises... Oo;; Hmm... Maybe by looks, he _might_ look a _teensy little bit_ like Ayame, but their personalities are completely and totally different. I'm feeling shocked and upset in your general direction for poor Ayame. Instead of yelling at Inazuma, though, Kurama yells at Yusuke and Kuwabaka. Is that a good enough substitute? n.n;; T-T Wow... that's a long name for a hampster. Oo;; I wonder if its small brain can even comprehend all that... Anyways, it might've been funny to you for Yukina to do that, but... most people wouldn't think so... n.n;; Wow... Kurama was just in chapter eight! Oo;; It was only a chapter ago! Jebus... Oo;; I will complain if you don't review... 'cause I'll cry if you don't! ...Okay, maybe not. But, the sentiment was there... n.n;; Hey! _I'm _not a hypocrite, because I'm not the one who said it. The one who said it was Yukina, and she never fights, so she's not a hypocrite, either. I just think you are confused... n.n;; Anyways, thankies for the review! n.n

**Kirby-Chan263**: Hahaha... n.n;; Yeah... cliff hangers are a lot less irratating when you're the one writing them... n.n;; Gomen ne! Here is your update! Thankies for reviewing! n.n

**Inuyashapup**: Hahaha! Of course I don't mind updating! Although, sometimes it is a hassle, getting it out on time, but... yeah. n.n;; Here's your chapter! Thankies for the review! n.n

Hatoko: Arigatou gozaimashita, minna-san! I really appreciate the reviews! n.n Before we start, I would like to take this time to deticate the chapter of this story. A round of applause, everyone!

_Detication:_

_This chapter of "The Day the Hiroseki Fell", by Hatoko (YokoYoukai), is hearby deticated to **Agent Dark Moose**, who is _

_Hatoko's second longest reviewer, and has reviewed all chapters, before, and since_

_the second chapter, when she first started reading._

_Arigatou, Lynn-sama! Hatoko hopes you enjoy this chapter!_

**The Day the Hiroseki Fell**

_"Right..." Kuwabara mumbled, sticking a finger in his ear, as if to stop the ringing he was currently hearing. "I knew that..."_

_Yusuke shook his head as he walked away._

_"So, fox-boy," he added, addressing Kurama. "We ready to head north?"_

_"Won't it be hard?" Kuwabara interrupted. "Like, to get there?"_

_"No worries, Kuwabara-kun!" Kurama said cheerily. "Where there's a will, there's a way!" _

**Chapter Eight: Complaints and Confessions**

After eight hours of walking, even Yusuke was starting to think it was a little absurd. Sure, he had run for five days straight and not even broken a sweat, but that was across flat turrain! Right now, they were trying to navigate their way through the fifth forest in three hours. Even Kurama was having troubles with the surrounding vegitation, as much as he hated to admit it. Not to mention, Kuwabara was lagging further and further behind, which meant, that to make his complaints and pleads for a break be heard, he had to shout louder than usual. Which was very rapidly giving Yusuke a headache. He glanced behind him, and almost laughed out loud. The only thing that proved Kuwabara was even still following them, and not taking his own self appointed rest, were his ever-increasing-in-volume complaints.

Taking pity on the carrot top, Yusuke looked forward to Kurama, who was a few paces ahead of him.

"Oi, Kurama," he said. "Maybe we _should_ take a rest. I mean, Kuwabara's been screaming for three hours, and I can't even see him behind us anymore."

Kurama turned to face Yusuke, and was suprised to not see Kuwabara as well. He had been shouting so loudly, Kurama thought he had been with them the whole time.

"You know, Yusuke, I believe you're right. We will stop and gather our strength," Kurama said.

Yusuke nodded, and shouted behind him, "Yo, Kuwabara! We're takin' a break, but you can't until you catch up to us!"

"WHAT?" was heard through the trees, scattering any birds in a two mile radius. "THAT'S NOT FAIR!"

"Hey, it's not our fault you're slow and can't keep up!" Yusuke yelled back.

About half an hour later, Kuwabara came panting into the clearing where Kurama and Yusuke had settled.

"About time!" Yusuke chided his friend, earning a glare from the taller boy, who had yet to catch his breath.

"Alright, Kuwabara-kun," Kurama started. "We'll let you rest for ten more minutes before we start again."

"HUH?" Kuwabara cried. "Why only ten minutes?"

"We've already been here for half an hour too long," Kurama responded coldly. "So be thankful for the time you get to rest."

Kuwabara stared dumbfounded at Kurama, while Yusuke chortled and slapped the carrot top on the back.

"He's right, Kuwabara," he grinned. "Beggars can't be choosers, as the old saying goes."

"Dammit..." Kuwabara mumbled, flopping onto the ground.

And, sure to Kurama's words, ten minutes later, the three were marching through the woods, in the same order: Kurama in the lead, Yusuke in the middle, and Kuwabara a few feet behind, the caboose.

An hour later, once they seemed to be devoid of forests for a while, it suddenly got cold. Like, _real_ cold. And _really_ suddenly. You wouldn't have guessed that it would suddenly be so cold. Kurama pulled his school jacket closer around his thin form, while Yusuke was shivering, Kuwabara's teeth were chattering, and both were complaining about how much they needed Hiei there so they could all gather around him, and draw warmth from the excess fire ki that radiated off of his petite form. After about ten minutes of this, Kurama was about ready to snap. After about ten more seconds, he did.

"Will you PLEASE be QUITE?" he shrieked.

Immediately, Yusuke and Kuwabara's bickering died out as they stood and stared incredulously at their friend.

"Hiei is NOT here, so I would appreciate it if you would stop bringing it up by wishing him to be! This whole thing has been trying my patience enough already, and I don't wish to here about how much you all CLAIM to miss Hiei just because you want him to be here so you won't be cold! Am I the only one who actually misses his presence as a person?" he continued, getting more and more hysterical. "The way you two act, it's like you don't even CARE what could be happening to him! He could be being tortured right now, and it would be all my fault..." he added, getting quieter and quieter, until he was slumped on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.

Yusuke and Kuwabara stared for a few more seconds until the shorter of the two moved forward quickly and wrapped an arm around the kitsune's soulder. The redhead shrugged it off, but Yusuke was unperterbed. Kuwabara came to kneel by him as well.

"You're in love with him, aren't you, foxy-boy?" the hanyou murmured quietly.

Kuwabara whipped to Kurama, shocked, while Kurama looked up into Yusuke's eyes, and, upon seeing the understanding and gentleness in them, let tears leak down is cheeks once more. He simply the gave the smallest of nods, barely perceptable to the other two, even with both of them so close. Yusuke smiled sympathetically, while Kuwabara turned away, still too shocked to think very straight.

"Well!" Yusuke proclaimed, standing up, putting both his fists on his hips, and smiling very widely. "I guess that means that we're just going to have to pick up the pace a little, ne?"

Kuwabara, who had finally gotten over the initial suprise and alarm of the fox-boy being in love with his rival, nodded vigorously, and added, "No more complaining from me, Kurama. That's a promise."

"Pfff!" Yusuke exclaimed. "Let's just see how long that lasts..."

"Oi, Urameshi! You're supposed to be supporting Kurama, not making jokes!"

"I _am_ supporting Kurama! Just that fact alone doesn't help the fact that you're a baka!"

"Yeah, that's tru- HEY!" Kuwabara yelled, grabbing Yusuke by the collar of his shirt.

Yusuke had been about to punch Kuwabara in the face, when he heard the familiar chuckle that sounded like a chime in the wind on a fine summers' day. Both punks turned to Kurama to see him giggling at their antics, tears still in his eyes, but sincerely laughing non-the-less. They both smiled, seeing their (well, Yusuke's... Kuwabara was acting how he normally would've) goal completed.

Kurama wiped the tears out of his eyes as he said, "Arigatou, Yusuke-kun, Kuwabara-kun. I needed that."

"No problem, man!" Yusuke said proudly. "We were happy to help!"

Kurama nodded, and still smiling, stood up, and turned towards the north.

"If we keep going, I think we could get a few more miles in before it gets completely dark!" he said happily.

Yusuke and Kuwabara exchanged grimaces, but said nothing.

They began following Kurama without a word as he strolled along in the cold air, feeling worlds better than he had in a long time; since before Hiei's kidnapping.

Night fell, and the three companions made camp, managing to light a small fire, without the much debated hiyoukai, and settled down for the night, after eating some sort of Makai herb that Kurama had promised them was anything but poisonous. They deemed that because Kurama was also eating from the same bush they were, that it was, indeed, alright.

After a while, when Yusuke had heard the oaf's breathing even out and become the deep breathing of sleep (or, in Kuwabara's case, the deep snoring of sleep), Yusuke turned to Kurama. Although Kurama's eyes were presently closed, and his breathing quiet, Yusuke knew Kurama was still awake. Taking a deep breath, he called out to him in a soft voice.

"Kurama?"

Kurama cracked an eye open in a very Hiei-esque fashion, and said, "Hai, Yusuke-kun?"

"Are you sure you're alright?" Yusuke inquired worriedly. "I mean, with what you told us this afternoon..." he trailed off, looking uncomfortably off to the side.

"I am fine, Yusuke," Kurama said, assuredly. "What I told you may have been because I was frustrated, but I meant all of it. We _will _find Hiei, and everything will be alright."

"Right," Yusuke agreed, grinning. "Hiei'll be fine. Whelp, I'm gonna hit the hay. 'Night, K'rama!"

"Good night, Yusuke-kun," Kurama watched as Yusuke turned himself onto his side, facing away from Kurama. "See you bright and early."

A groan was heard coming from Yusuke's direction as Kurama snuggled into the bed of grass he had made softer with his ki.

The next morning, however, only one of those promises came true. Surely, it was early; even Kurama could vouch for that. It was, in fact, so early, that the sun had only just begun rising. As Yusuke woke up after gentle shaking from Kurama, he peeked out from under his eyelids and moaned. It wasn't even daylight yet. Damn Kurama.

After ten minutes of shaking Kuwabara, Kurama looked back at Yusuke, who was just sitting up, exasperated.

"How deep does he sleep?" Kurama asked Yusuke, incredulous, as Yusuke moved passed Kurama towards Kuwabara.

"Heh," Yusuke chuckled. "You haven't known the oaf as long as I have. It takes a certain something to get _him_ up."

Kurama looked away as he felt a pang in his heart as Yusuke used Hiei's favourite nickname for Kuwabara. Kurama looked back at Yusuke, who had leaned over Kuwabara, and was now beginning to speak to him.

"Kazuma-chaaaaan... " he sang in a voice sounding uncannily like Shizuru's. "Time to get up, itouto. You wouldn't want to make nee-chan, angry, now would you?"

Immediately, Kuwabara was up like a shot, and bowing before whom he thought to be Shizuru and quivering. Yusuke was laughing to hard, he had become deprived of oxegyn, and his laughter silent. Kurama was just looking at Kuwabara with a facial expression that would count as a mix between confusion, humor, and pity. Quite the interesting combination, one which was only making Yusuke laugh harder.

Kuwabara peeked an eye open, and nearly went homicidal when all he saw was Yusuke laughing his ass off, and Kurama looking confused/amused/pitying, instead his nee-san there, ready to knock his block off for sleeping late.

"Shut up, Urameshi," he yelled, sitting up and brushing himself off indignantly, with a light blush forming on his cheeks. "If you had a nee-san like mine, you would've done the same thing."

"Ka-kazuma-chaaaaaaaaan..." Yusuke wheezed, still almost completely out of breath from laughing so hard. "Don't talk that way about... about your n-nee-san..." he trailed off, as his laughter subsided, and took great long breaths, looking as if he had just won the Tour de France**(1)**; really out of breath.

Kurama looked between the two and smiled. Their arguing really had a way of making someone feel better. Maybe they should open a clinic for depressed people, and have he patients watch them argue so they won't feel so bad about themselves... No. That idea was squashed by Kurama before it even had time to surface. I mean, them? Open a clinic? Hah! That was almost as ludicrous as a hiyoukai falling for a kitsune! ... The world is doomed. However, Kurama didn't know how possible his analogy was (the hiyoukai/kitsune part... Oo;;) at the time. If he had... well, he just would've thought up a better one.

Kurama, who was riled from is thoughts by a sudden very Kuwabara-sounding scream, looked up in time to see Yusuke secure the aforementioned carrot top in a headlock. Sighing, he clapped his hands twice, calling the two punks' attention on to him.

"As mch as I enjoy watching you two rough house," Kurama lectured. "There are much more important things we could be doing right now. I think you _both_ know what those are."

Both boys nodded apologetically, though Kuwabara cursed rather loudly when Yusuke dropped him on the ground without warning. Kurama clapped again, making the two boys come to order before the fight even began.

"And, please," he added, tiredly. "Try to contain yourselves."

Both boys saluted and allowed Kurama to pass them as they continued their way through the tundra.

Another couple of hours passed as they went through the now-frozen wasteland, with suprisingly few complaints from the younger two of the party. Yusuke was about to suggest a break, however, when Kurama, who was once again, a few feet ahead of him, stopped. Yusuke, intruiged, walked the remaining distance between the two of them, and stopped once he was next to Kurama.

"Yo, fox-boy," Yusuke called, using one of his favourite nicknames for Kurama. "What's up?"

Kurama didn't even spare Yusuke a glance, as he stared disbelievingly ahead. Yusuke followed Kurama's line of vision until he spotted what Kurama was staring at. His eyes widened. They had made it. They were there.

When Kuwabara finally caught up to the two in front, he was suprised to see them just standing side by side, staring off into the distance.

"Urameshi? Kurama?" he called uncertainly, standing on Yusuke's other side. "Whatcha guys lookin' at?"

Yusuke pointed ahead of them to a looming castle about an hours walk away, that Kuwabara was amazed he had missed in the first place, considering its size.

"Is that...?" he asked, his voice trailing off.

Yusuke answered the unfinshed question.

"That's it," he nodded. "The keep were they've got Hiei and Yukina."

**-Owari-**

**(1)**: The Tour de France: It's a big bicycle race in which the course takes the contestants all around France. If any of you have seen the movie "Pee Wee's Big Adventure", staring Pee Wee Herman, the dream he has at the beginning of he movie is of him winning the Tour de France.

Hatoko: Tee hee hee hee! Wasn't that a horrible place to stop? Anyways, I just wanted to clear up a few things that have been bothering me: one) I said a few chapters back that Hiei's main reason for not telling Yukina that he was her brother was because she was pure, and that stuff, well... I just wanted to say, that, I know that his payment to Shigure was to not tell Yukina as well, but, once Shigure was dead (twice!), I figured that it didn't matter much anymore. I'm not sure if anyone actually cared, but it's been bugging me, so I had to say something about it.

**(IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WEREN'T PAYING ATTENTION!)** Two) The Kurama-tacchi chapters are happening at the same time the Hiei-Yukina chapters are. Like, at the end of last chappie, Hiei was with Inazuma in his office. While that was happening, Kurama and the gang had reached Rui's keep (they don't know that Hiei was relocated yet), and Rui was telling Yukina the truth. So, at the beginning of this chappie, when they were walking, was equivalent to the time when Hiei woke up in the dungeon, at the beginning of last chappie (Yukina was still knocked out during that time).

Hatoko: I wasn't sure if that was clear to everyone, so I had to make a note of it. Anyways, thank you for reading, and please review! n.n

Hatoko-

P.S. Sorry if this chapter was shorter than the last one; I tried to make it longer, but I wanted to make the time intervals of the chapter events even. If you get what I just said, Congratulations. Have a cookie. Oo;; (I'm not even sure I got it... n.n;;). Anyways... I'll be off now! Ja ne! n.n


	11. Chapter Nine: Potions and Pasts

**Disclaimer**: Blah... is this really necessary? -.-;;

Hatoko: Thanks to all 16 who reviewed the last chappie! n.n

**Jessica**: Welcome to the world of "TDTHF"! Thank you for the review! n.n

**Inuyashapup**: I'm glad I could clear that up for you, and thanks very much for saying so! n.n I'm updating as soon as possible! n.n;; Thankies for the reiview! n.n

**Ame-tennyo AKA Hyena Frog**: No, I don't believe maggots do have legs. Unless it's because people cut them all off... Oo;; I'm glad this chappie made you laugh! n.n Thankies for reviewing! n.n

**Lynn (Agent Dark Moose)**: Yes! Deticated to you! n.n I'm glad you liked it! That's what I shoot for! n.n;; I'm sorry to hear that. Oo;; Thankies very much! I try my hardest! n.n

P.S. Thankies for the IM! n.n (Even if I was a bit late... Oo;;)

**LoversPastForgotten**: Hahaha! I'm glad I made your day! I'll try to update again as soon as possible! n.n Thankies for the review! n.n

**Hikari Yume**: Hahaha! Yeah! Go, Kura-chan! n.n Thankies for the review! n.n

**shiorifoxiesmom**: Thank you! I try to update as soon as possible! n.n;; Thankies for the review! n.n

**DemonUntilDeath**: I can't, eh? It seems that I did! Hohohoho! n.n I'm updating as fast as I can! I'm glad to know that I'm keeping you on the edge of your seat! n.n Thankies for the review!

**Bffimagine**: Hahahaha! Oh, don't worry. He'll find out soon enough... n.n Thank you for reviewing! n.n

**Fire-crow**: Oh, I assure you... the torture is FAR from over... Tee hee... n.n Thanks for the review!

**MasterFranny**: Hahahaha... don't worry. Hiei's chappie is this one. n.n Hahahahahaha! I know what you mean. Hiei's my favourite character too... (malicious grin) Heh... yeah, I'm still trying for longer chapters... it hasn't been working as well as I was hoping it would. Oo;; Hahahaha... Hiei would probably just call them idiots and ignore them. n.n Heee... Don't you worry. We'll give Hiei's feelings time to surface. n.n Thankies for the review! n.n

**Silvermane1**: Thankies for the review! n.n

**Hiei's Gothic Angel**: Hahahaha! It's alright! I don't consider it late at all! n.n Yeah, but, it wasn't really Kurama's fault... I mean, the love of his life was captured and being held against his will in a castle in the middle of a Makai tundra, so you gotta give him some credit. n.n;; Hahahahaha... that would be amusing. I might have to get Kurama one of those signs... n.n;; Hahahahaha. Yes, Kuwabara would be very screwed. And Kurama would look good with that kind of face, wouldn't he? n.n;; Hahahaha... yes, they get into some... other situations, before everyone's all well and rescued. n.n;; Don't worry about it! I like long reviews! n.n They make me happy! n.n YAY! I'm someone's top favourite author MORE THAN ONCE! n.n I feel so proud and accomplished! n.n Thank you very much! n.n I'm glad that you like it! n.n Thankies for the review, and remember: I don't mind it when they're long! n.n

**Goepan**: Wah! Thank you very much! n.n Thankies for the review! n.n

**Sandry Stardiamond**: Thank you very much! I'm hurrying the best I can! Thank you for the review! n.n

**Imomen**: Yes! Kurama shrieked! Oo;; He was having a break down! What more can I say? n.n;; Well, Kurama is a kind person, whether or not Kuwabara's an idiot, so... they got a break. XP Another one-shot, eh? I could handle that, I think... Although, I have a _major_ problem with procrastination, as you may already know. You know that lemon I told you about? I'm still not done. n.n;; Like, I know how it's gonna go, and everything, but... I'm just too lazy to write it down. n.n;; Hahahaha... it was just in a friendly gesture (or was it...?), and, notice how I had Kurama shrug it off. If that were Hiei, Kurama would've demanded that he put two arms around him, not just the half-hearted one. XP Hahahaha! I did use the word "hanyou". n.n It's because, that's what Yusuke is! True story. And, Kurama admitted himself. n.n And, Kuwa-baka was a baka. n.n Yeah, that's my point of view; sure, Kuwabara has sixth sense, but... he's too dumb to understand it. n.n;; Sorry. I know how much you love me, but my brother is dumb, and he made me get off. Hahahahaha. Yeah, making Kurama hysterical was fun. n.n You've never heard the expression, "hit the hay" before? Oo;; I would've expected that living out HERE, you would know all that type of slang. (n.n;;) Heh... We live in the boonies... Oh, yeah, totally. Shizuru totally rapes Kuwabara. Every day. (nod) Males...? I'm gonna cry! T-T Meanie! Humph. I LIKE leaving cliff hangers! So THERE! XP Hahahahaha... if you're really sure you want to eat MY cooking, then I'll make you a cookie... hehehe... Hahahaha! You totally should've! Except, he probably would've remembered your screen name from the other night, and asked me why my friends have his screen name... n.n;; Yeah, well... do you know how long it actually takes me to type up a chapter, minus the procrastination and other stuff I do in between? I'd probably say... half an hour? Fourty five minutes, maybe? Not to mention, I don't have a beta-er, and I usually don't even read through my chapters after I finish 'em; I just post 'em. Unless, of course, this is your discreet way of saying you want to beta my story... -.-;; Well, I know your secret now. So there! XP (n.n;; Umm... yeah... n.n;;) That was the point! You were _supposed_ to feel sorry for Kura-chan! XP Hmm... I wonder if Hiei is ever going to tell Kuwa-baka... n.n XP The whole, "Kurama was having trouble in the forest" thing was to show you two things: 1) Forests in Makai are brutal. 2) Kurama was extremely distracted and not himself and thinking about all the horrible things they could've been doing to his hiyoukai. Note: Number one was a joke. XP Tee hee. At least you say I did a good job... (Yay, cliffhangers! XP) Hahahahahaha! Wow! I've just been told by someone I _personally know_ to update soon. Wow. Just as long as you don't bug me about it in school. Then, I'll be forced to kill you. (nod) Alright. Award for longest revew goes back to you, Imomen. n.n;; ...You know what? You have a sick mind. I mean, Pee Wee's BIG Adventure? Geez, okay? Just geez. Anyways... Thankies for the review! (Even though I had to remind you nine hundred bajillion times! XP).

Hatoko: Detication is now! Whoot! n.n

**Dedication**:

_This chapter of "The Day The Hiroseki Fell", by Hatoko (YokoYoukai), is hereby_

_dedicated to **LoversPastForgotten**, for being yet another _

_long time reader/reviewer. _

_Arigatou gozaimashita! Hatoko hopes you enjoy this chapter!_

**The Day The Hiroseki Fell**

_"However," he continued. "I _can_ tell you who gave you to me, because I know you've been wondering about it."_

_"That too," Hiei managed, grimacing as Inazuma slowly pulled is arm higher and higher out of its natural position._

_"The one who brought you here, to me," he started, leaning down so that his breath tickled Hiei's ear in the most unnatural of unnatural ways. "Was none other than the one _claiming_ to help you."_

_Hiei's eyes widened in disbelief. "You mean..." he gasped. Inazuma's torture on his arm was really getting to him. "That it was... R-Ru--"_

_"That's right," Inazuma whispered, licking Hiei's ear in between breaths. "It was Rui."_

**Chapter Nine: Potions and Pasts**

"Na-nani...?" Hiei managed. "Why would Rui... do such a... thing?"

"Hmm..." Inazuma said, pretending to be thoughtful. "For such a thing that I believe you were born from. The thing that made you get thrown off the Island of the Koorimes, and the same thing that made your mother commit suicide. I believe the word was called "love". Funny concept, that. Rui thought she loved me, so she was willing to do my bidding, leading you directly here."

"B-bastard..." Hiei winced. Inazuma was, if possible, holding his arm more tightly than ever. "You just... don't understand it... 'cause you're a-a sadist... that has never had anyone to love before..."

"Is there a problem with that Little One?" Inazuma remarked.

"Yeah..." Hiei laughed. "It just makes me feel worse... that I was captured by someone as pathetic as you..."

Inazuma's response was cut off by the abrupt 'crack!' of Hiei's arm as it finally gave under the pressure Inazuma had been keeping on it. Hiei managed to hold in all movement except for a small jerk of his head that he just couldn't keep back. Inazuma smiled satisfactorily, dropping Hiei's now broken arm, where it hung awkwardly by his side.

"Are you in pain, Little One?" he smiled. "Do you like the feel of pain?"

Hiei remained silent, a defiant look in his eyes.

"Now, now..." Inazuma cooed. "That's no good. We'll have to teach you to answer when you are asked a question..."

He delicately trailed a finger up Hiei's broken arm, and without warning, wrapped his hand around a particularly sore spot, and squeezed.

Hiei twitched.

"Well, that'll just have to do," Inazuma sighed in mock conceit.

He took a small vile out of his pocket, uncorked it, and raised it to his lips. He took the whole thing in his mouth, then raised his mouth to Hiei's. He pushed his lips against the hiyoukai's, and forced them open with his tongue, and released all the liquid still in his mouth into Hiei's. The latter choked, and swallowed, to stop the liquid from trailing down his windpipe. A few seconds later, Hiei's eyes dilated, and he fell forward into Inazuma's arms.

"We wouldn't want you to try to go anywhere for a few hours, now would we?" Inazuma smirked.

.-.-.-.

_Rui nodded. "We must start planning immediately if we are to get Hiei out of Inazuma's keep in time."_

_"Inazuma?" Yukina questioned._

_"That's the demon's name," Rui explained. "The one whom I thought I loved, and the one to whom I brought Hiei."_

_Yukina nodded her understanding. Suddenly, she stood._

_"Yukina-chan?" Rui questioned._

_"Well," Yukina said, turning towards Rui with a determined smile. "Let's get to work, shall we?"_

.-.-.-.

Yukina and Rui spent most of the day cooped up in the castle's overly large conference room, using Rui's knowledge to come up with a plan to get Hiei out of Inazuma's keep, and do the blood transfer, before it was too late.

Yukina sighed distractedly as she slumped back in her chair.

"It doesn't seem like there's any weakness in this man's keep," Yukina complained. "I think we're running out of options..."

Rui nodded sadly. "I never was very good at strategy..."

"Me neither," Yukina admitted. "I never went on missions with the Reikai Tantei, and was never much of a planner; I was only used as a healer... We could use someone like Kurama-san for this..."

"Ah," Rui said. "The youko?"

Yukina nodded absently, getting up and moving towards the window, her brow furrowed in thought. The only great thing she had ever planned was her escape of Koorime Isle. Even then, it wasn't all that hard; tell the elders you were going to look for a healing root that could only be found on the main land, with a promise to be extra careful, and they practically tossed you off the Isle in their eagerness to see what you came back with. After that, it was just asking around towns to see if anyone knew of her brother. Nothing she had planned had ever planned had such tedious factors to take into consideration. She squeezed her eyes shut in frustration. They needed Kurama-san!

"If only he were here, he'd..." she trailed off, staring out the window as though the tundra landscape was suddenly the most interesting thing she had ever seen.

"Yukina-chan?" Rui asked uncertainly after a few moments. "What's wrong?"

"Either I'm going insane..." she began. "Or the rest of the Reikai Tantei are coming to storm the castle."

Rui got up hurriedly, and moved to the window Yukina was staring out of. Sure enough, there were three ant-sized people running towards the main gate of the keep. Just at that moment, a servant bounded into the room, and bowed hurriedly, crying, "M'lady! Intruders are planning to force their way through the front gate! What are your orders?"

Rui glanced at Yukina and nodded, before addressing the servant Yukina suddenly realized she had seen before. (A/N: For anyone who doesn't remember Yatsushi, see chapter three.)

"Yatsushi," Rui kneeled down, putting her hands on the boy's shoulders. "Call off all the guards. Let the three through; if anyone asked questions, tell them they are personal friends of mine, and will receive punishment if they try to hassle them. Lead them straight here. Got it?"

"Yes, M'lady!" Yatsushi cried, and was gone in flash, back out the double oak doors that led into the room.

.-.-.-.

Inazuma smirked as looked back at Hiei. The aforementioned hiyoukai was on the "bed" he had woken up on, looking a sickly shade of white and like he was about to die at any moment.

Inazuma walked down the hallway, looking smug. 'Soon, my hiyoukai... Soon, you will become a monster, slave to the darkness... and you will be mine to do with what I will...' he thought, a sadistic smile securing his features.

He climbed the many, many staircases back up to his personal chambers on the top floor of the keep.

As he opened the door, he barked orders to the nearest soldier that if he was to be disturbed for any reason what-so-ever, other than news of their... "patient"... then he would personally see to it that everyone that interrupted him was publicly humiliated and executed. The soldier gave a yelp, and nodded, hurrying off to tell his comrades-in-arms.

Inazuma sighed as he shut the door himself, and moved to the big comfy chair behind the overly large desk. Placing the tips of his index and middle fingers to each temple, he tried to soothe the pounding headache that felt like it was in danger of splitting his head into multiple pieces all over the floor by moving his fingers in a rhythmic motion across the skin.

He sighed again, and slowly the rubbing of his fingers died as he lapsed into a reverie. His chin sank into his newly vacant hands, as he was lost in the world of memories.

.-.-.-.

_Begin Flashback_

.-.-.-.

It was a happy village. Quiet, peaceful. Even a little too quiet, at times. But, everyone got along well with each other, and if anyone ever had a problem, then no one ever voiced it outside the comfort of their own home. You see, even the most peaceful village can still live in fear. And that's exactly what this particular village did.

It was a village of light demons. As such, they weren't a very strong group by nature, and very much disliked fighting of any sort. Meaning, they didn't put up much resistance to invaders. Of course, they still tried their hardest, but since none were trained as fighters, they decided it futile to go into battle just to die. At one point, a particularly horrible demon had taken over the village quite easily. Every week, he would march his armies through the villages he had conquered, as if to squash any hope they had at all of him leaving.

Many a light demon fell to this awful lord. None put up a resistance, but he would hold weekly executions to those who had done nothing to anger him, as if just to say, "I have you under my complete control, and it is utterly hopeless to even think the word 'rebellion'."

The light demons had just about given up any hope at all of getting away from this tyrant of a leader, until one day, a worn down traveling swordsman entered the village. The villagers, being the kind-hearted demons they were, immediately gave him food, shelter, water, new clothing, whatever he needed. The traveler felt like he couldn't accept all this without giving something to the village in return. They insisted, but he learned of the evil tyrant that had them all holed up there and under his complete power, just because they were a peaceful race. He vowed to the villagers that he would destroy the corrupted king, and reunite the village with its days of peace and prosperity.

The villagers of course, were overjoyed with this news, for they had come to deeply trust and respect the traveler, but they advised against it. Everyone that had ever gone up against the power hungry dictator had never been seen alive again. 'Not to worry,' the man had told the villagers. 'For I have a secret on my side that is sure to win me the battle.'

All the villagers could do was hope as the man departed, daring to believe that they would glimpse his face in the village again. The only thing he left them with parting was one word. His name, Inazuma.

It was said that Inazuma never wound up making it to the despot's castle at all. It seemed that he had a bounty on his head, and was taken out by a thief/hunter of heads who had happened to run into him, simply called, "Hiei". Hiei had defeated Inazuma quite badly, it had appeared, and was caught with wounds that, had they not been taken care of, would've caused him to bleed to death. While he was in jail, Inazuma contemplated what Hiei had told him during their meeting; "I have nothing against you personally, child, but if you should choose the path of crime such as I, then there is no mercy for you in my eyes."

Indeed, Inazuma had decided that this "Hiei" was quite right, and he probably would've done the same thing in Hiei's shoes. Thus, Inazuma did not hold a grudge against Hiei for what he had done. Instead, he spent his time thinking of a way of out his dank prison cell. The first thing he would do while he was out; murder the mogul that had driven that village of his own kind to living in fear.

Three months later, Inazuma had managed his to execute his escape plan without flaw, and was on his way to the village, when something most peculiar caught his eye in the distance; smoke. It seemed like someone was having one helluva bon fire. Either that, or… oh, shit.

Inazuma ran as fast as his legs would possible carry him. He reached the village a few minutes later, and all his worst nightmares had come to life.

Instead of the beautiful village that had given him food and shelter, there was nothing but a terrible fire. Burnt corpses of children lied in the street, while fathers had died fighting, and mothers defending their young. It was a horrible mess.

Tears blurred Inazuma's vision as he turned tail, and ran, with all his might, to the keep of the powerful slave driver that had constrained that entire beautiful village of peace-loving light demons.

As he arrived at the keep, he noticed smoke traveling out from the windows, flames leaping in every which way, trying to burn everything, even the sky above.

Inazuma stared in horror as his chance for revenge went in flames (Hatoko: Yes. Pun very much intended. n.n). He stood there for at least three minutes before he noticed a black shadow fly from on of the upper windows. Inazuma got into a fighting stance, until the shadow flew by a particularly bright jet of flames. It was Hiei.

Inazuma's eyes widened in shock, then hardened. Hiei had gone to kill the tyrant, but he had still let the innocent villagers die at the hands of that crook. He would get revenge on Hiei. Yes… for harming him, sending him to jail, letting the villagers die, and for stealing his revenge from him.

And that was the day that this all began.

.-.-.-.

_End Flashback_

.-.-.-.

Inazuma sighed as he once again rubbed his temples. It had been quite a while since he had had any day dreams of those days.

He looked up at his clock. It was still only five. He glanced out to see the sun setting through the window. It would be a few more hours until Hiei woke up…

Deciding that he would rather not wait out that time reminiscing about the past, he opened a draw in the desk, took out a large vile, took three swigs from it, recorked it, and wandered off to his bed, becoming drowsier and drowsier all the while. Looks like he was in for yet another dreamless sleep.

**-Owari-**

Hatoko: Oh my gosh! You have absolutely no idea how sorry I am that it took _this_ long to update, and all for this piece of crap chapter! But, you must give me a bit of slack. This chapter was incredibly hard to write! All that flash backing that Inazuma did! Jeez! I am terribly sorry for this incredibly boring, dumb, stupid, useless, horribly short chapter! T-T I really am! But, I hope you all begin to understand Inazuma a little better now. And maybe not hate him as much. n.n;; You'll get to hear Hiei's side of the story later on, and see why he let the village burn. n.n

Hatoko: Anyways, I can understand why you wouldn't want to, but, review anyways? For me? Pleeeaassee? Well, I'll be off now... to study for finals... (puke). Bye bye!

Hatoko-

P.S. I would also like to thank all of these songs for not minding being played repeatedly throughout this whole chapter, helping to give me inspiration:

Hotel Yorba, by The White Stripes

Change the World, by V6 (the beginning theme song to the first season of Inu Yasha)

Killer Queen, Bohemian Rhapsody, and Princes of the Universe (the Highlander theme song n.n), by Queen

Alegria, by Cirque du Soleil

The Devil Went Down To Georgia, by Charlie Daniels Band

Undone, by Weezer

Spirit of Radio, by Rush

Lilium, the beginning theme song to Elfen Lied (don't know who it's by... n.n;;)

The Mango Song, by Phish

Hatoko: Thank you! I'm really gone, this time. n.n;; Bye bye!


	12. Chapter Ten: Castles and Commitments

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Yuyu Hakusho.

Alright. After such a disgustingly long absence, I would first like to apologize to anyone who liked this story, and decided to abandon it because it was never updated. I would also like to apologize to anyone still reading it, hoping in vain that sometime it will be updated. This chapter has been a long time in coming, and though I am quite proud that I managed to finally spit this thing out, I also feel that the ending left a little to be desired. Ah, well. On a lighter note, this is the longest chapter to date.

Secondly, I would like to thank all the people who reviewed the last chapter, and just the story in general, even when it had been two-plus years since it had been updated.

Thirdly, I would just like to mention that since the last time this was updated, my writing style has changed _drastically_. Also, this chapter focuses a lot on Yusuke. There was no particular reason for that. That's really just how it came out. I would also like to mention that I just typed this all in one sitting. Though I do have the plot all worked out in my head, every type I post something up, the finer details are basically just made up on the spot, so please forgive me for any inconsistencies that may exist between the chapters.

Lastly, I would just like to mention that the reason I actually sat myself down and wrote this chapter was not because of any reviewers, or anything like that. It was actually because I received an email today telling me that someone with the username **ShadowLovers** favourited my story. So, if you'd like to thank anyone for this chapter, thank them.

So, without further ado, may I present chapter ten of TDTHF.

**The Day The Hiroseki Fell**

"_Yukina-chan?" Rui asked uncertainly after a few moments. "What's wrong?"_

_"Either I'm going insane..." she began. "Or the rest of the Reikai Tantei are coming to storm the castle."_

_Rui got up hurriedly, and moved to the window Yukina was staring out of. Sure enough, there were three ant-sized people running towards the main gate of the keep. Just at that moment, a servant bounded into the room, and bowed hurriedly, crying, "M'lady! Intruders are planning to force their way through the front gate! What are your orders?"_

_Rui glanced at Yukina and nodded, before addressing the servant Yukina suddenly realized she had seen before. _

_"Yatsushi," Rui kneeled down, putting her hands on the boy's shoulders. "Call off all the guards. Let the three through; if anyone asked questions, tell them they are personal friends of mine, and will receive punishment if they try to hassle them. Lead them straight here. Got it?"_

_"Yes, M'lady!" Yatsushi cried, and was gone in flash, back out the double oak doors that led into the room._

**Chapter Ten: Castles and Commitments**

The keep was much bigger close up, Yusuke decided. As Kurama, Kuwabara and himself approached the giant structure at a dead run, he realized just how much of its greatness had been lost to the distance that they had been standing at before. Despite its size and the many, many, _many_ demons possibly holed up a building that big, Yusuke was determined. Hiei and Yukina were in there. Two very important people to him, despite how much Hiei may deny it. There was no way he _couldn't _be determined. Though he also couldn't deny the old punk side of him was excited at the idea of a possible fight.

As they approached the gate of the mammoth castle, he noticed the slew of demons, pathetically C class and lower, standing around the front entrance. His heart jumped and his blood pumped faster, and he was unable to stop the smirk from sliding onto his features. How he _loved_ cleaning up garbage.

An unspoken communication passed between the three Spirit World detectives, and they all continued running, coming up on the group of demons impressively fast. The nearest guards looked slightly alarmed at their unaltered pace, but raised battle axes and fists, and whatever weapons happened to be of their particular forte.

Yusuke could feel his excitement rise. This was the kind of thing that the previous years of his life had been full of, even dedicated to. Fighting an unknown opponent. Beating people and getting beaten. It was something that people rarely understood about him; the passion he actually had for fighting. Most everyone only assumed he was a delinquent. One of the reasons his only true friend had been Kuwabara for so long, despite their disagreements, was that he was one of the few people who could understand Yusuke's exuberant love of battle.

The nearest guard to him was looking positively ill at the thought of fighting, but that didn't deter him. This was one more obstacle keeping him from his goal, and he'd be damned if he let the enemy's reluctance to defend himself stop him from jumping this hurdle.

He was ten feet away. The demon raised a spiked club, and gulped.

He was seven feet away. The demon had sweat shining visibly on his forehead.

He was five feet away. His fist was raised, and he saw the demon close his eyes and begin praying. It didn't want to die.

He was two feet away. The demon was awaiting his execution.

He was less than half a foot awa--

"STOP!"

His feet went on automatic at the sudden shout and he stopped, hand still raised, less than two inches from the demon's scrunched up face. He glanced around him, only to find his companions in similar states of complete confusion. Kurama had his Rose Whip in hand, and seemed to have been in the process of cutting one of the demons to pieces, but his whip was only loosely wrapped around the demon's torso, and he was blinking away his befuddlement. Kuwabara's Rei Ken was out, and mere centimeters away from decapitating one of the poor demons, who, noticing his pause, cringed away as fast as his badly trembling legs could carry him.

Finally, Yusuke's wandering eyes led him to the source of the disturbance. A very small, human-looking, yet obviously demon boy was standing in the middle of the fray of badly trained "guards." His deep green hair was loosely tied back and trailed down between his shoulder blades, golden eyes with slit pupils and pointed ears the only obviously demon traits about him. His torn and stained clothes denoted his servant's status, but his youki was startlingly high for a mere slave; Yusuke thought that as untrained as the boy seemingly was, he could have been at least a high B class demon.

Glancing around again, Yusuke took in the air with which the other demons greeted him: pure relief. They looked like they wouldn't have been happier to see their own mother after years of forced separation.

"Please," the boy spoke again in his childish voice, directly indicating Yusuke and Kurama, as Kuwabara's opponent had already fled. "Put away your weapons."

Yusuke trained his eyes back in front him, and realized he still had his fist raised to punch the demon still trembling before him. Cautiously, he lowered his fist, the demon heaving a huge sigh of relief, and turned to the boy who had commanded him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kurama release the victim of his whip, and with a flick of his wrist, turn it back into a rose. Similarly, Kuwabara cut off the flow of reiki that had been supporting his energy sword's existence. With that done, Yusuke took the initiative to speak, as official leader of the team.

"Who the heck are you?"

He could tell that his delivery left much to be desired (the tic Kuwabara developed under his eye, the small, yet clearly exasperated sigh released from Kurama's mouth), but the question the three of them were wondering was asked.

"Yatsushi is Rui-sama's servant," the boy answered, dipping his head lightly. "And you three are expected upstairs. Please, follow."

And with that, the boy turned and walked into the castle, obviously expecting the Tantei to follow. The three turned to each other, and Kurama spoke with a shrug.

"It would be better to go in invited than to have to battle our way through."

As Kuwabara was nodding at the wisdom of Kurama's words, Yusuke couldn't help but feel a smidge of disappointment. He wanted to fight, darn it! But in turn, he sighed.

"Let's go, then. We don't want to keep this 'Rui' waiting, right?"

Then, taking the front as a proper leader should, Yusuke set his shoulders, and directed the two other detectives as they chased after the boy who had already disappeared into the deep, confusing corridors of the keep.

.-.-.-.

The only thing Yusuke could tell about the trip up the keep was that, well… they were going up. They took so many different turns and staircases that it had even crossed his mind that the demon boy was doing this on purpose, to confuse them so the wouldn't be able to leave. Once he had voiced this thought aloud, the boy he turned to him, looking slightly abashed.

"That is the true reason the castle was made like this," he had admitted. "But Yatsushi isn't doing it on purpose. This is truly the only way he knows of to get to the Conference Room."

Annoyed, Yusuke had butted in. "And why do you talk about yourself like that?"

But the boy had just blinked like he had no idea what Yusuke was talking about.

"Like what?" he had questioned, but Yusuke decided it wasn't worth it, and had dropped the subject.

That had been about ten minutes ago, and now the four of them were traveling in silence, nothing but their footsteps echoing off the never-ending slew of corridors.

Suddenly, Yatsushi stopped, and it was all Yusuke could do to keep from plowing right into the brat.

"What's the hold up?" he said gruffly, after turning around and punching Kuwabara for walking into him ("It's not my fault you stopped so suddenly, Urameshi!" ; "It wasn't mine either, Kuwabaka!").

"We are at the Conference Room," the boy said, simply, indicting a large set of oak doors directly to the right of where they were standing. Turning to face them fully, the boy knocked twice, before speaking towards the door. "Rui-sama? The honored guests have arrived."

A cool female voice sounded from inside the room. "Thank you, Yatsushi. You may let them in."

"Yes, M'lady," the demon boy replied. He hesitated for the briefest moment, then turned to the three detectives.

"Please," he whispered, his golden eyes full of pain. "Please, hear M'lady out first. Don't… don't judge her actions without first trying to understand her reasons."

Yusuke stared into the boy's eyes, watching the emotions swirling around in them. Loyalty: obviously for his mistress. Sadness: For what she had done? Probably. Fear: For what they may do to her? Again, probably. And last, there was something else. Something that took Yusuke a minute before he placed it, because in that mix, it seemed so out of place. Respect. Respect that they could make their own decisions, and maybe a dash of hope that they would give his mistress a chance to redeem herself.

Well, of course, Yusuke thought, that they couldn't just attack without first knowing her reasons. But this boy was pleading with them, simply because of how much she meant to him. She was his just as much as he was hers. Without her, he wouldn't be worth anything. Just in that simple request, he had proved, whether meaning to or not, that there was much more to this situation than what met the eye.

It was then that Yusuke realized that there was no way he could ignore this boy's request. Not matter what his thoughts were going in there, he needed to keep a clear head, and make sure the full story got told. Which also meant restraining Kuwabara (and possibly Kurama, considering the circumstances) until the whole thing was played out accordingly. Sometimes, Yusuke thought, life really wasn't fair.

"Don't worry, kid," he finally said, a cocky smirk on his face. "We're not the bad guys that just go in bustin' ass first, and askin' questions later. We'll make sure to get all details before doin' that."

He ignored the snort he heard from Kuwabara at his statement, and locked gazes with the demon boy, trying to prove his sincerity. Finally, the boy smiled, the mixed emotions leaving his eyes.

"Thank you very much," the boy intoned, bowing deeply at the waist. He straightened and turned towards the doors again, this time pushing one of them open, and allowing the Reikai Tantei to enter the room.

Yusuke, as the first one in, made a preliminary sweep of the room before entering it too far -- one never knew, after all, when one was facing a trap -- but the only thing he saw in the large room, was an overly big wooden table with many chairs around it, two of which were occupied by Yukina, and another Koorime ice maiden who must have been Yatsushi's 'Rui-sama', and a few windows that stretched from the floor to the ceiling of the room. Nothing at all out of the ordinary, his mind supplied.

Wait. Yukina?

"Yukina-chan!" he said happily, moving further into the room, allowing Kurama and Kuwabara to see past him.

At his exclamation, Kuwabara practically shoved Kurama out of the way and into the door in his haste to enter the room.

"Yukina-chan!" he sang, running up the room to her, and clasping one of her cool hands in both of his. "Are you alright? What happened? Where's the squirt?"

Yukina smiled at his exuberance before answering his questions.

"Yes, I'm fine, Kazuma-san, thank you for asking. What happened is a rather long story that you will all hear about shortly, and where Hiei-san is ties directly into that."

"So, you must be Rui-san, then?" Kurama asked, addressing the only other demon in the room.

"Yes, that is me," the ice maiden answered steadily, though her eyes were pained, and laced with what seemed to be regret. "Before I start telling my story, I would like to apologize for my actions thus far. I'm not going to make excuses for myself, nor am I going to try and hide from what I've done. If, when all this is over, you see it fit to take me into the custody of Reikai, then by all means, please do so. If nothing is done, than this guilt will surely eat me alive."

Yusuke could tell, not just from her words, or the feelings conveyed by her eyes, but also her posture, and her body language, that she meant every word she said.

Much more to this situation indeed. Yusuke sighed. Seriously. Why was it always him?

Turning to Rui, he said, "Don't get ahead of yourself. Before we even talk about punishment, we have to solve this whole mess first. And Koenma might be able to overlook you having started this whole thing if you also helped to bring peace to it."

Rui gave him a watery smile.

"Thank you."

Yusuke smiled back, a bit embarrassed.

"Nothing to thank me for," he shrugged slightly. "Just the truth."

Rui smiled at him again, this time with a slight laugh. She then turned to the demon boy still standing by the door, waiting to either be excused or put to use.

"Yatsushi," she said, and he was immediately at her side.

"M'lady," he said, inciting her to continue.

"Will you please go to the Planning Room and retrieve the maps for me? You know the ones," she asked, smiling sweetly at the boy.

"Of course, M'lady," he replied without hesitation, and was out the door in less than a second, closing it carefully behind him. Rui gave a wistful sigh as she watched him.

"I found him about fifty years ago," she said to the room at large. "It seemed that he had been beat nearly to death. I never asked about his past; how he ended up that way, or why. I simply healed him, and ever since he has been my self-proclaimed servant. I've told him many times that I see him as an equal, even a son to me, but still insists to do these things for me like he is my slave. He claims it as a life debt, but I really wish he wouldn't force himself like this."

The room was silent for a moment, before Kurama spoke.

"I really don't believe he is forcing himself, Rui-san. He truly just wants to be able to help you in any way he can. I think he believes that this is the only way that he can really be useful to you, and so that is what he does. If every little thing he does is something that you personally want or need for him to do, then he is satisfied."

"I never thought about it like that before," Rui admitted. "Do you think that if I asked him to do something else for me, he would?"

"Of course," Yusuke replied at once. "If it's somethin' you wanted him to do, he'd do it, no questions asked. I'd like to make a suggestion, though."

"Yes?" Rui looked at him questioningly.

"Get someone to train 'im," he answered. "He has amazingly powerful youki, and if he ever took time to polish up his abilities, he could become really strong. Tell him you want him to be a bodyguard, or something. He'd prolly do it, then."

Rui looked dazed. "Yes, thank you. I think I shall do that, then."

She glanced about the room, and shook her head. "When he comes back with the maps, we can get started. Please, take a seat. It shouldn't be long now…"

She trailed off, and the three detectives looked at each other. Looks like they were in for a long day.

**-Owari-**

Alright. So, that was it. Comments? Criticism? Love letters? Please review. I would like to know if there's anybody who is actually still reading this.

Oh, and one last thing. **Even I don't know when the next update will be**, but if the last wait was anything to go by, I would suggest not holding your breath.

Thank for reading, and again, please review if you're still reading this!

-Hatoko


End file.
